Sleeping With The Ally
by Daffodil3126
Summary: Maria Morris has an ability, one that started developing a little over a year ago. She's also from a family of hunters, but now her family is gone and she has only one way of coping, drowning herself in the arms of a stranger. But after making her brother a dyeing promise, she no longer has that comfort. but one night she gives in and everything changes.(DeanxOc)Rated T sometimes M
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer**: I don't own supernatural. Just my oc. I don't intent to get paid for my work, yadda yadda yadda you know the drill.

**A/N**: This is my first attempt at a one shot and it might turn into an actual story if I get enough feed back on it. So, please, if you like it, drop me a review or just follow. Sorry if there are still typos. I've edited it since the first time I posted it, but I'm far from perfect.

**Sleeping With The Ally**

**Chapter 1:**** Breaking the Promise**

The bar was hot, smoky and reeked of cigarettes and alcohol. The bartender kept hitting on her and the beer tasted watered down, but Maria Morris wouldn't want to be anywhere else at the moment. After dealing with a ghost that was terrorizing a family nearby, this was exactly what she needed. She was unaware of the man sitting two stools down. He was taking in her wavy brown hair and the attractive profile of her oval face. As she stared at the tv mounted on the wall, the bar lights glinted off of her eyes showing off the hints of brown within their green.

She finished off the watered down beer and waved her hand to the bartender. "Another beer honey?" he asked as he walked over while cleaning a glass. _Mmm she's smokin'._ Because of his loud thoughts she didn't have to look up to know that he was undressing her with his eyes. The lacy hunter green v-neck tank top and the dark denim jacket she wore over it left little to the imagination anyways.

"No. Jack and coke please." She smiled at the guy. _Keep drinkin' baby. I'll be in your pretty little panties by closin' time._ His thoughts hit her and she felt like shaking her head at him, but she had actually heard worse before. He wasn't bad looking, just kind of ordinary. The name tag on his shirt simply said Mike. She thought, for a split second, about leaving the bar with him, but quickly changed her mind. "Oh and uh Mike," he turned back around from fixing her drink, "Leave the water out of it would ya?"

Mike chuckled and grabbed an unopened bottle of Jack off the shelf. He made her drink right in front of her. "Tell you what, since you figured me out it's on the house for the rest of the night." He said with a smile that made her cringe away. Some men just didn't know how to invite a woman in. His thoughts aside, he just wasn't that good at attracting her. _Maybe I should just slip a roofie into her next drink._ Her stomach turned and a sneer appeared on her face. His thought sounded so nonchalant, he wasn't kidding. He really would roofie her.

"Tell you what, _Mike_, since I figured you out and you were never going to get into my pants anyway, this will be my last one for the night." He stood there, his mouth agape, as she reached over, grabbed the bottle of Jack and pored more into her glass of coke. "Thanks." She said with a wink before she hopped down off the stool and found a dark table in the back.

The guy that had been sitting at the bar with her snickered at the bartender. The bartender gave him a nasty look. The guy just kept chuckling as he grabbed his drink and looked around the room to find the girl that caught his eye tonight. He found her sitting at her table with an old pink notebook in front of her. He just watched her for a few minutes as she scribbled down words. Her brows were drawn together in thought. She was so engrossed in what she was writing that she didn't even notice him standing at her table.

"Excuse me miss." She jumped not having heard him walk up. Her eyes locked on his. _Now he's definitely not ordinary._ She thought with a small smile up at him, purposely blocking out his thoughts for fear of his thoughts ruining it. "Mind if I sit here? The bar's kinda crowded." Her eyes shifted to the nearly empty bar then across the dozen empty tables scattered across the room. She did notice another, longer haired man, sitting at a table playing on his laptop. She locked her eyes on the man standing across from her and raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, sure, since it's _soo_ crowded that you have no place else to sit." He smiled to himself and scratched the back of his head. The smile lines near his eyes accentuated his bright green eyes.

He slid into the chair next to her at the square table with his beer in hand. "Sorry, guess my pick up lines are a bit rusty." He said trying to take a smooth peek at the book she had been writing in, but she closed it, smiled up at him and slipped it into the messenger bag that was thrown over her shoulder.

"It's fine. You still did better than bartender boy." She said with nod toward Mike who was not so discreetly watching them. She saw the man at the computer glance over at them a few times. "That your friend?" she asked with a nod at him.

"Oh, yeah, that's my brother, Sam. I'm Dean." He said as he looked across his shoulder at her and smiled. She had started doodling on her hand with her pen to avoid looking at Dean. He was cute, too cute. If she wasn't careful she would be pulling him out of the bar and to her hotel room, and she couldn't do that. She had promised her bother, on his death bed, that she wouldn't sleep around anymore. It was one of the reasons he was dead now and she couldn't break that promise. "Your name?" he asked.

She shook her head clear of her thoughts not realizing that she had zoned out. "Maggie." She used one of her many aliases. Maggie was the one she used on social occasions like this. Realizing that she needed something to distract herself from her thoughts, she stopped doodling on herself and tucked the pen into her bag. Her eyes moved from her hands on the table to his eyes, then back again. "Hey, this is gonna seem forward of me, but are you single, married or in a relationship of any kind with anyone?" she asked and he choked on his beer.

"I'm completely single." He said still looking at her like she was crazy and in all reality she might be, just a little. "Why?" he was confused and she smiled a devious smile.

"Bartender boy has it bad for me." Dean still looked confused. "I'm in the mood to mess with somebody and I don't appreciate watered down alcohol." _Or someone thinking about putting roofies in my drink._ She thought to herself. "Mind if I use you?" Surprise shot across his face. She thought for a split second that he was going to say no.

"Baby, you can use me anytime." She laughed at the expression that took over his face, like he knew he was about to get some.

"Slow your roll Romeo." She laughed. "All I'm asking for is a make out session after I flaunt myself in front of bartender boy."

"You're a serious whackadoodle ." She was sure after those words that he was going to walk away. "I kinda like it." She laughed, a sweet, comical laugh that brought on more smile lines from Dean.

"Okay, cool." She said as she stood up and shucked off her denim jacket to put it on the back of her chair. "When I motion for you, come over and follow my lead." She didn't know how this was going to turn out, but the thrill of it was enough to keep her mind off of actually sleeping with Dean. She winked at him and flipped her long, wavy ponytail before she walked off to sit at the bar again. This was all it took to get the bartenders attention.

"Thought that was your last one." He said not able to hide the fact that he was thrilled that she was back. _Order another, I'll be spankin' that ass all night._

It took everything in her not to pull the pistol out of the holster on her ankle and shoot him then and there. "Yeah well, I have a tendency to over react. I'm sorry. It's just… I've been having such a bad day. A bad week really." The bartender, who's back had been facing her, turned around and raised an eyebrow at her sad tone.

"That so?" he asked and she nodded sadly. "Wanna talk about it sweetie?" She inwardly flinched from him calling her sweetie, but she didn't let it show. She just looked down at the well used bar and nodded. "So tell big Mike all about it." He said putting his forearms on the bar to lean down and be face to face with her.

"Well, my dating life has just sucked here lately. It just seems like every guy I come across is either happily taken or married and doesn't want to be." He gave her a sympathetic look. "I'm just so tired of being alone. I just…" she straightened her back and gave him the most seductive look she could muster for such a disgusting man. "I need someone to cuff me and spank me all…night." Her not so conservative words caught him off guard before a sick smile spread across his face.

"Really baby doll?" he asked and she smiled, putting her face dangerously close to his.

"Yeah," she said biting her lip as she propped her head up on her elbow and used her other hand to motion to Dean behind her back. "and I think I found someone to do that for me." She said sliding her tongue along her top lip.

"Yeah?" he asked. _oh yeah, bring that sexy ass over here to big mike._

"Uh huh." It was at that time that Dean walked up and put his arm around her waist.

"Hey baby." Dean said with a smile when she looked at him.

"Mm, hey." She smiled before she grabbed his open jacket with both her hands and pulled him into her. His lips met hers with a fiery passion that she wasn't expecting. What she had been expecting was to have to lead Dean in the right direction, for her to take control and make Dean look good. Instead it was the other way around. He was controlling her.

She felt her hands slide around his neck, her fingertips fiddling with his gelled hair. His hands gripped her waist. Before she knew it his tongue was in her mouth. He tasted of beer, but she didn't mind. Just like he didn't mind a woman that tasted of whiskey.

She felt one of her hands slide down his hard chest as his hands moved to grip her outer thigh. Still sitting on the stool she wrapped her leg around his. She almost moaned when she felt his warm tongue side along her bottom lip.

This was bad. He was too good. She wouldn't be able to resist. That's when she heard the bartender clear his throat.

She was out of breath when she and Dean pulled back, not looking at Mike. He could see the surprise on her face and he smiled. She couldn't help but smile back as she looked into his eyes. _Better then you thought huh baby? _She heard Dean, but didn't see his lips move. It confused her before she realized she had dropped the barrier that she had sat up around his thoughts.

She smirked at him before her eyes went to see an angry looking bartender staring at the both of them. _God damn pretty boys always get the girls. Hope he kills the fucking bitch._

She made herself smile kindly at Mike before she leaned into Dean, gave him one long kiss then stalked over to their table and grabbed her bag and jacket before leaving the bar.

Dean winked at Sam before following her out. When he got outside he found her leaning against a nice car laughing. "He looked so pissed." She said with a chuckle and Dean only half smiled. "What?" She asked noticing his change in mood.

"Don't you think that was a little mean?" He asked and she shook her head taking in the fullness of his lips that she neglected to notice until then. "I mean, what did the guy ever do to you?"

She stopped smiling. "He was going to roofie and rape me. He's lucky I didn't..." she stopped talking and sighed before she revealed too much. "You know what, never mind. Thanks for the fun. Have a nice night." She said pushing off of the hood of the cobalt blue car where she had been leaning. Dean had thought this was someone else's car and she was just leaning on it, but she walked around and pulled open the door with keys in her hand.

"Whoa, this is your car?" He asked taking in the white racing stripes.

"Yeah, my mom bought it new when I was nine." She explained. "What kind of car do you drive?" She asked, subconsciously wanting to hang out with Dean a little longer.

"67 Impala." He stated and she smiled as she asked him what kind of car hers was. "91 Camaro." He guessed.

"92, but close enough." She laughed.

"Wanna take me for a ride?" His eyes sparkled with a double meaning and she wanted to read his thoughts, see if they were bad, but she couldn't. If he was thinking decent thoughts, then she might not be able to resist him as well as she was managing to right now. As it was, her restraint was holding on by a single thread.

"If you really wanna go on one, sure." His smile lines returned. "I'll take you home if you want." She suggested not realizing until after she said it that he could take another meaning from her words.

"Be right back." He said as he pulled his keys out of his pocket and headed to the bar. He returned a minute later to see her already in the cranked car. So he helped himself to the passenger seat. "Can I drive?" He asked and she looked ad him like he was crazy.

"No one drives Drake but me." She said as she put it in gear and headed down the only road that lead away from the bar.

Dean laughed making her smirk too. "You named your car?" He asked with amusement in his voice.

"No," she said with a laugh, "my mom did. She said it was the name of her first boyfriend or something." Dean just shook his head and looked at the well kept original interior. "So where am I taking you hot shot?"

"The Stratford motor inn. Room 17." He directed and she tried to ignore the fact that it was the same hotel she was staying in. Instead she kept her mouth shut and kept driving. the inn wasn't far from the bar, so they didn't have to worry about making conversation.

When she pulled into the drive and parked in front of room 25 he looked at her confused. She said nothing as she got out and went to her door. "I guess this is goodnight." She said with a smile that he returned as he stepped closer to her. She couldn't take her eyes off of his, that was until they slid down to his lips. _Damn, I really wanna kiss those lips._ She thought and before she could think her body acted on her thoughts.

Her lips met his, the kiss less rushed than it had been at the bar. There was no one to impress now. Just her and Dean. His hands grabbed her hips and pushed her against the door while one of her hands gripped his neck and the other rested on his face.

She slightly parted her lips hoping he would take the hint, and he did. His tongue found hers starting the fight for control. The longer they kissed the more urgent it became.

So she broke it off, pulled the key card out of her pocket and slid it into the lock. Instead of turning green like it should have, the light turned red. "Damn it." She sighed as he brushed her ponytail out of the way and started kissing her neck. She tried again, red light. "Oh for heavens sake." She said and handed him the card. "You try please before I break the damn thing." She moved out of the way and watched as he slowly slid the card into the slot and jerked it out.

The light turned green and he opened the door. "These things can be a little tricky." She knew that already, but she wasn't going to mention it.

Instead she grabbed him by his jacket like she had in the bar and pulled him into the room. As soon as the door was closed she pulled it off of his shoulders and tossed it aside.

Some people liked to have sex in the dark, but she didn't. So she flicked the lamp on and kicked off her converse while he did the same with his boots. His eyebrows raised when she un-strapped the pistol from her ankle. "A girls gotta protect herself." She said as she took a seat on the bed and beckoned him over with her finger.

He walked over to stand between her knees as he kissed her and slid his hands beneath her shirt. They broke the kiss long enough to take off each others shirts. Then his lips were back on hers. Eagerly, he moved to kissing her neck again. This was different for her. Usually the men she slept with just wanted to get the deed done and move on. But Dean, he wanted to make it last. To build her up until she couldn't take anymore.

He moved painfully slow as he unzipped her pants and slid them down then followed with her read lace panties. She did the same with his pants, just faster and he smirked at her in the dim light of the cheep lamp.

He was even slower about easing her down onto her back before he climbed on top of her. She squeaked and nearly lost it when he finally sank into her. She bit down on his strong shoulder to stifle her sounds. When she did it pulled a sexy grunt from him. Suddenly all of his restraint was gone as he started driving into her faster. She had figured out was turned him on and she wasn't going to stop. With her legs wrapped around him she flipped them over so she was on top.

His hands instantly found her chest, but he had to move them when she leaned down and bit his peck muscle right next to his nipple. That's when she saw his tattoo. She didn't have to guess about what it was, because the same symbol hung around her neck at all times. The anti possession symbol. She was sleeping with a hunter. She hissed and sat up with the realization, but he took it as a noise of arousal. A part of her wanted to jump off of him and run for the hills. But another, much bigger part, kept her in place, enjoying what he was doing to her.

So she gave in and resumed her biting. When he could no longer take anymore he flipped them back over, grabbed her hands and held them against the bed above her head. His lips and teeth assaulted her neck and chest while he drove her into ecstasy.

They both lay on the bed, sweaty and out of breath. She glanced over at him, remembering his tattoo as she started playing with the necklace her brother had given her. It matched the symbol on the mans chest to a T. She propped herself up on her elbow and started tracing the outline of the star. "Do you know what this symbol is for?" she asked and Dean glanced up at her.

"Yeah, do you?" he quizzed with tired, suspicious eye and she answered by lifting up her necklace. "Hunter?" he asked and she nodded. "Huh. That explains the gun." He said and they both started laughing.


	2. Chapter 2

**Sleeping With The Ally**

**Disclaimer:** See ch.1

**Chapter 2:**** Breaking the Habit.**

The dim bluish light above the bathroom sink flickered as she stared at her reflection in the cracked mirror. _Does he know what I can do? Is he here to kill me? Oh my god, what have I gotten myself into this time? I can't believe I slept with him… I broke my promise to Keaton…what would he think of me?_ Her knuckles started turning white from her death grip on the yellowed porcelain sink. Greif and stress had morphed the once vibrant and youthful 23 year old face into that of a 30 year old woman. Clear, silent tears slid down her freckle peppered nose to fall into the sink as she just stared through her reflection. _I can't do this anymore, not without them. Mom, Keaton, Uncle Scott… I killed them… I… I can't be here anymore._ She thought as she finally released the sink to grab her bathroom bag. She dug around until she found a small pocket knife and flicked it open. As she pressed the blade to her pail skin, the shiny metal reflected the bright blue vein that ran down the length of her arm. All she wanted was to slice open both her wrists and let the life drain out of her. It was all she could think about since her mother and uncle died over two years ago. Then after the death of her brother a year later she felt empty inside.

KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK! "You okay in there?" Dean asked from the other side of the door making her jump. The knife fell from her hand and clanked against the tile floor. She hadn't expected him to stick around. Most of the time after she slept with a man she would go to the bathroom and return to an empty room. Maybe he stuck around to kill her, or maybe he stuck around just because she was a hunter. Or maybe he just wanted to be with her, but that thought never crossed her mind. It just didn't seem plausible to her.

"Yeah, just freshening up." Her voice trembled, but Dean didn't notice. Her hand shook as she picked up the pocket knife and closed it. She just stared at it, wondering if she should just go ahead and kill herself. _Hey, maybe if I kill myself tonight Dean and Sam will give me a hunter's burial._ She thought with a sour smile. It was a bitter sweet thought, but she was pulled out of her thoughts again when she heard her cell phone in the bedroom outside start ringing. She didn't worry about the phone, it was probably just Cameron calling her with a job to do and he knew that when he called her in the middle of the night that she would rarely answer. Instead, she dropped the barrier from Dean's thoughts and closed her eyes while she listened to them.

_Wow, she's hot. And a hunter too. I hit the jackpot with this one. Maybe she'll come on our next hunt with us. Na, come on Dean… ya can't do that. It's a family business. She isn't part of the family like Bobby is. But, *sigh* she actually likes beer. I mean how many times have I found a beautiful woman like her that would rather drink a beer over some fruity girly drink?_

She smiled bitterly to herself. He didn't even know her, but he wanted her to go on his next hunt with them. It was that thought, along with the fact that his thoughts showed no sign of him wanting to kill her, that made her tuck the knife away into her bag. She fixed her hair in the mirror and stepped out still in her underwear. He eyed her up and down as she walked over to her bag and pulled out a plain black t-shirt and pair of faded jeans. "What are you still doing here?" she asked as she finally turned to look at him. He was clad in only a pair of jeans as he gave her a confused look. "I'm not trying to be rude, but usually y'all are gone by now."

"Y'all?" he asked still looking confused.

"Men." He just smirked at her and took a seat in one of the two chairs that was at the small round table in the corner of the room, letting her know he wasn't planning on going anywhere. "I'm sticking you in the category of men who will sleep with a woman that they've only known for an hour at most." she clarified as she pulled a beer out of the fridge for herself. "So," she popped the top as she turned to look at him, "So I'll ask you again. Why are you still here?"

"Maybe I'm not one of those other men." His straight face made her turn back to the fridge and pull out a second beer. She knew he drank beer because he'd had one at the bar. She handed it to him before she took the other seat at the table. "It's not everyday that I run into another hunter, much less accidentally sleep with one."

His words pulled a sarcastic laugh out of her. "Accidentally? Na, I think you knew exactly what you were doing and how well you were doing it." She smirked at him with her brow raised.

He simply looked at the ground and sent a small grin to the floor. If she didn't know any better she would have thought that the slight redness that tainted his cheeks was a blush. "So, Maggie, what's your story? What are you doin' in the middle of nowhere?" he changed the subject on her and she took a big drink of her beer.

"Vengeful spirit." She said before she took another small sip of her beer. "It was terrorizing a family that bought an old house. Simple salt and burn took care of it." She was trying to keep her eyes off of Dean's nude chest, but that was hard to do when he was so good looking. "Oh, and my name's not Maggie, it's Maria Morris."

"Wait, as in Keaton and Scott Morris?" he asked making her sit up straighter in her chair.

"Yeah, how do you know them?"

"Met them on a hunt a few years ago. I wasn't aware there were more hunters in that family." When she didn't reply he felt the need to keep the conversation rolling. "So, how are they? Your um…"

"Uncle and brother." She stated letting Dean know how she was related to them. "And not good considering their dead." His face dropped. "Uncle Scott died along side my mother and my bother died a year later."

"So you're hunting by yourself now?" he asked wanting to know if there were any other hunters around that he needed to know about.

"Yeah." She said flatly before she took the last drink of her beer and went to the fridge for another. "You want another one?" she held one out to him and he shook his head. The subject of her and her family was making her more depressed than usual. So she changed the subject. "So, Dean, what's your story? What brought you and your brother to Toledo Ohio?"

"Haunted Mirror." He simply stated like it was an everyday occurrence. "Simple salt and burn didn't work on this one." Maria just sighed and shook her head before taking a swig of her drink. "But our main goal at the moment is to find our dad, John Winchester. Have you seen him?"

Maria thought about it for a minute. "Na, but the name sounds familiar. I think Uncle Scott worked with him a time or two. Good hunter I hear."

"Yeah, well he's just as good at hiding as he is hunting, if not better." Dean said with a shake of his head before tanking a drink.

"As far as I know I don't have a job lined up. I can help if you want." She said as she sat up leaned over the table, looking at him. "If you don't want my help it's fine. I'm sure Cameron can have me a job lined up in a few days. I just thought that you would want one more brain around to find your dad."

"Well, I have a few questions before I say yes." Oh, yay, he had questions. What were they going to be and would she be able to answer them? It was the uncertainty of the situation that made her drop the barrier that was around his thoughts. _God that body, damn. Hope she answers right. I can't have a crazy, clingy chick along for the ride. Ha-ha. The ride. She sure took me for a damn good ride._ She just smirked at him as she watched his eyes quickly travel up and down her body as he sat up straighter in his chair. "Are the cops after you?" he asked making her shake her head.

"No. I'm good at covering up my tracks." She answered his question honestly.

"Are you wanting more than just a good lay out of this?" he asked motioning between the two of them.

She started laughing. "Dean, I haven't gone steady with anyone since I was 16 and that was only for two months. You slept with me, that's sign number one that you are a player. So no, I'm not looking for a long term relationship."

_Damn, that's too bad. She's good in bed, likes beer, and packs heat. I like her._ His thought caught her off guard and her hand flew to her mouth to keep the beer from spewing all over the place. She wasn't expecting such a nice thought. "You alright there?" he asked and she just managed a nod and motioned for him to keep asking questions. "That's all I got. I'll talk to Sam about it and see what he thinks." He said before he leaned back in his chair and took a swig of his beer.

With the conversation having died down, they both just sat in comfortable silence. She put the thought barrier back up around Dean and let her thoughts and her eyes drift. She didn't notice Dean, taking in her soft brown waves and the way her thumb and middle finger rubbed together in thought. Eventually her hazel eyes drifted and met bright green ones. They smirked at each other at the same time.

His gaze paired with his sexy lips was again too much for her to handle. "You know…" she stood up and placed her hands on the arms of his chair. "just because I said I didn't want a relationship with you, doesn't mean that we can't have a little fun every now and then." He seemed a bit hesitant, but she knew from listening to his thoughts that he was just putting on a show. "Come on, no strings attached. I won't get mad when you sleep with another woman and you can't get pissed when I sleep with another, more attractive man. Although I don't think that will be happening, or at least I hope it won't." Her brother and his dieing words echoed in her head. _"Ria, ya, gotta stop sleepin' around, it's bad for yer health."_ she had laughed at him when he said that, thinking it was just a joke. "_Promise me?"_ his pleading voice echoed in her head as she just stared at Dean, who was looking at her with a question mark face. "You know what? Never mind." She tried to lean back from Dean, but he grabbed her hips, stopping her.

"Wait a second. What do you mean never mind? Never mind you aren't going to keep sleeping with me, or never mind you aren't coming with me and my brother?" he asked and she walked to the end of the bed to turn her back on Dean.

Her eyes bored into her own as she glared at her reflection in the small full length mirror that was at the back of the motel room. "I should have never slept with you." She said it more to herself than Dean, but he still heard her and asked what she was talking about. "I take back everything that I said. I can't go hunting with you and your brother." She said without looking at him.

Dean's brows pulled into a deep v as he stared at her back. He didn't understand the sudden change in her. "…okay. That's fine I guess. You just looked a little lost is all. You-" he was about to tell her that the invitation still stood, but she interrupted him.

"Dean…?"

"Yeah?"

"Do me a favor… Be like the other men I've slept with." She said still not looking at him, "I can't do this anymore." She finally turned to see that he had stood up and was looking at her with nothing but concern on his face. "This lifestyle has cost me everything." She wasn't necessarily talking about hunting, but it was a part of it. "Hunting, drinking, sleeping around… I just can't do it anymore. It's already taken everyone in my family. The next person to go will be me and…I'm not ready to die." Tears slowly started to streak her cheeks.

Dean's next actions startled her and caused her to jump as he stepped closer to her and hooked one of his arms around her shoulders and the other around her waist. He was hugging her. She couldn't remember the last time someone had hugged her like this. His fingers were threaded into her soft waves as he held her head to his shoulder. After a few seconds that it took to get over her shock, she slowly wrapped her arms around his waist, hugging him back.

In that moment something in her broke. She allowed herself to cry on his shoulder. For a split second the shield around Dean's thoughts dropped and she heard him think. "_I wish I could help her._"

Without thinking about it she softly replied. "No one can help me."

Her words made him stiffen for a second before he brushed it off as a coincidence and lifted his hand up to brush his thumb across her face in an attempt to wipe away her tears. With a small smile he asked "All better?"

"Yeah." She answered sheepishly then headed back to the bathroom. "I'm gonna wash my face." But she stopped at the bathroom door. "And Dean?" she said making him look up at her from his beer. "I'm expecting this room to be empty when I come out." She didn't wait to hear his response before she ducked into the bathroom.

Once inside she purposely dropped the barrier. She listened to him have an internal debate for five minutes before she pulled the shield back up. Two minutes later she heard the bedroom door close and she sank down on the dirty bathroom floor as she let out a breath that she didn't even know she was holding in.


	3. Chapter 3

**Sleeping With The Ally**

**Disclaimer:** See Ch. 1

**Chapter 3:**** All Hell Breaks Loose I**

Maria had moved around for three months before settling down somewhere. She had been working in the Sunny Side Diner for a year and was getting along fine. Through her undying credit card scams she managed to get a nice apartment and was now going by the name of Nikki Jones. A single white female who loved to play hard to get, had no children and drove a nice car that car guys couldn't resist asking questions about.

Her life had been boring. Between working during the day and watching bad TV at night the drabness of it all sometimes started to get to her. When that happened she would go clubbing by herself at the sketchiest places she could find, just for the thrill of it. Just to feel the rush of danger that she felt when she was hunting. The rush that let her know that anything bad could happen at anytime. On more than one occasion a sleazy man had hit on her, and she led him on just to piss him off when she wouldn't sleep with him. When drunk men get pissed they usually yelled and sometimes threw punches. The ones that threw punches usually got the shit beat out of them. Thus satisfying her need for an adrenaline rush.

It wasn't until one rainy night at the Sunny Side Diner that things suddenly changed. She was serving an older man in a baseball cap his usual evening plate of beans and rice when she heard a car pull up outside. "Customer!" the cook, who watched the security camera feed, yelled from the back.

"Covered!" she yelled back as she headed to the door. She prepared her smile for whatever late night customer walked in, but when she saw Sam Winchester her smile faltered a bit. "Sam." She didn't realize she had said his name out loud.

"Do I know you?" he asked with a confused tilt of his head.

"Uh… No, but I know your brother, or I did briefly a year or so ago. I picked him up in a bar in Ohio." She explained briefly causing Sam to laugh.

"Oh, right. You're the one who embarrassed the heck out of a sleazy looking bartender." They both busted out laughing at the shared memory even thought they had never spoken to each other.

"Dean's in the car if you want to-" in a flash both of them disappeared and the other people in the diner were dead.

* * *

Maria woke up with a major headache and coughed when she took a breath. The air around her was hot, stuffy and thick with dust. As she sat up, she realized she was in an attic. The only light that entered the dim room streamed in from two windows, each seated in the front and back walls. Her eyes focused on the dust particles that floated in the beams of light as she quietly shuffled over toward one of the windows. What lay before her as she stared out of it looked to be an abandoned town.

She was about to find a way out of the attic when she saw a guy walk out into the vacant street. He was looking around as if he were lost. So she decided to listen in on him. "_What am I doing here? What is this place? Why do I have the smell of rotten eggs stuck in my nose. Man, where's my bong? It was in my hand two minutes ago._" His thoughts were jittery and it sounded like he was on speed. He was freaked and that's all she needed to hear. So she stopped listening, knowing he couldn't be the reason she was in the middle of nowhere.

She waited for him to walk away before she pushed the window open and breathed in the fresh, cool air. _I think it will be best if I just hide out here for a while and see what's going on out there. Wait, rotten eggs, sulfur. I smelled that before I… The diner! Sam! He's a hunter, maybe he and Dean can figure out what happened and where the hell I am. If they even care to._ She thought as she stood up and headed over to the window on the other side of the building, nervousness building inside her. She started pacing the small attic. _Sulfur, sulfur, what leaves behind the smell of sulfur? Uh…Come on Ria, think. A demon? A demon zapped me here? God, I'm rusty at this. I miss my normal life already._

She sat down against the wall under the window to think and listen for other thoughts that she might pick up on. She was picking at the fringe of her cut off shorts when she started getting sleepy. Her head bobbed as she fought sleep. She had jerked her head up once again, when a man appeared in front of her making her almost jump out of her skin. "Who are you?" she asked still recovering from a mini heart attack as she took in his creepy yellow eyes.

"I'm your father, well, in a sense." He said with a shrug and tilt of his head.

"You're not my father, you're a demon." She said easing herself around him without taking her eyes off him. She didn't want to be pinned between him and the wall she had been sleeping against.

"You always were the bright one. Yes, I am a demon." He said sarcastically as he turned to look at her. "But I am also the one who made you what you are. How do you think you got these…abilities…as you call them?" he asked actually expecting her to answer. The air of arrogance that surrounded him was disgusting her.

"Born with it?" she asked sheepishly as she backed away and he laughed.

"No, but I did give them to you when you were a baby." She was lost in thought trying to decipher his words. "Who do you think killed your daddy?" her face contorted as her eyes drew into a deep v.

"My father…died in a car crash." The confusion was palpable in her voice.

"Oh, you didn't know." He said with mock sadness. "Your father didn't die in a car crash. He died in your nursery. He burned to death in a house fire." The man was smiling at the mix of hurt and deceit on her face. "Set by yours truly." He said holding his hands up by his head as if to surrender. "I apologize, but it had to happen."

So many things were clicking in her head. Puzzle pieces, things she never understood about her family, words whispered between her mother and uncle, were starting to fit together. She started shaking when she figured out that what he said was true. "You killed my father?" she asked and he just cocked his head to the side with a smile on his face. "Why? Why did you do that?" she asked, tears now sliding down her face, smearing her mascara.

"Why? Because your daddy made a deal. I make your precious mothers cancer go away and in return…" he held his hands out to the side, cocked his head to the side and smiled at her.

"His soul." Maria finished for him.

"He knew I'd eventually come for him, he just didn't know when. Anyway that's not the point. The point is why I gave you your gifts. You have the power, the ability, the strength, the _potential_. Oh, the things you could do if you set your mind to it. If you would just let go. Give into yourself. You could run the world, alongside me of coarse."

"What are you talking about? Run the world? I don't wanna run the world. I just want to be normal." She said wiping the tears from her face before she glared at him and crossed her arms across her chest.

Her words made him bust out laughed making her jump. "Ha! Normal? Try all you want little girl, but you will never be normal. You are special, more special than you will ever know. As a matter of fact you're the one I'm routing for."

"Routing for?" she asked wondering if this demon ever made since.

"Welcome to the miss America pageant. Why do you think you're here? This is a competition. Only one of you crazy kids is gonna make it out of here alive. I need a leader." He said taking a step into her personal space trying to intimidate her.

She didn't back down. "A leader for what?" What he was telling her was overwhelming.

"My army of coarse."

She scoffed at him. "You killed my family. You made me a freak of nature. I will never do anything for you." She said through clenched teeth and tears in her eyes.

"Doesn't matter. You either make it out of this place alive, or you die. End of story." he said before he snapped his fingers.

* * *

She shot straight up gasping for a breath, realizing that she had been dreaming the whole time. But she also knew that demons could enter your dreams. So she would have to make it out of here alive, meaning she would have to kill people. She refused to do that. She could kill a demon, a ghost, a vampire, it didn't matter. As long as it was killing people her conscience would be clear.

Setting her thoughts aside she glanced around and noticed that the sun was beginning to set. It would be night time soon. _How long have I been asleep? _She thought while pacing for a second, clawing at the locks of brown hair that slipped from her ponytail and stuck to her sweat covered forehead. Deciding that she needed to leave the attic soon, she dropped the barrier that was up, more often than not, around peoples thoughts.

"_Where's Ava? Okay, I'm waking up Sam and Andy._" Recently she had been able to pick up on things about people when she chose to hear their thoughts. She could tell their gender, race, name and age. Before, she could only hear words in a gender free, but distinct voice. These thoughts were coming from a African American male named Jake who was around 23 years of age.

"_Huh, what? Oh, Ava's missing. Great. That dumb bitch is gonna get herself killed._" These thoughts came from a Caucasian male named Andy also round 23. She could tell by the sound of his voice that it was the stoner guy she had seen in the street before.

"_Those guys are so stupid. You would think Sam would have figured out by now that I killed Lilly_." Maria didn't know who Lilly was, but she knew that this girl, Ava, who's thoughts she had just read, definitely knew what was going on around here. The other's seemed oblivious, but Ava was already killing people like Yellow Eyes asked.

Maria had known from Jakes thoughts that there was someone else there, Sam, but she couldn't hear any other thoughts. She didn't pay much attention to it at the time, she just assumed that if they all had gifts, that this Sam person had a gift that kept people out of their head. After that she decided that she should leave the attic. If one of them found her up here she would be cornered.

She was about to walk down a set of stairs that she had found in the back corner of the attic, but was stopped when she heard someone yell Ava's name outside. The voice didn't sound like any of the others so she went quietly to the window and looked out. On the ground in front of her, was Sam Winchester. She had thought before that the Sam that Jake was talking about might be him, but she didn't think she could be lucky enough to have another hunter here with her.

She didn't know if she could trust Sam, hell they were all supposed to be killing each other, but she knew that Dean seemed like a good guy. So she decided to give Sam a chance. She needed to get to him without alerting the others to her presence. "_I'll wait until this building is clear, then sneak down and find Sam. Although, that's gonna be hard considering I can't hear him._" She thought as she listened to people's thoughts.

As she was listening she heard Ava thinking as she broke the salt line that was apparently along the window to keep the demons out. Maria was disgusted with the girl, but as soon as she heard Ava mentally calling a demon to the bedroom she was in with Andy, who really didn't know what was going on, Maria took off down the stairs. But she didn't get to Andy in time. Instead she found Ava smiling down at Andy's bloody body.

As soon a Ava laid eyes on Maria, standing in the doorway glaring at her, she started to scream. Next thing Maria knew Sam was in the room. "Sam," Ava cried shakily when she saw him enter the room. "I just found him like this."

"What happened?" he asked Ava, before his eyes landed on Maria and he cocked his head to the side. "When did you get here?"

Maria opened her mouth to answer, but Ava interrupted. "I just went to get some water from the well, I was only gone for like, two minutes. When I came back in here I found her… she was…was killing him." She said through her fake tears. Maria looked at Sam with wide eyes, her mouth poised to speak, but she didn't know what to say.

"When did you get here?" Sam asked again ignoring Ava for the moment and focusing on Maria. "How long have you been here?" he asked at Maria's silence as he glared at her.

"I've been here the whole time. I woke up in the attic, saw Andy in the street. After that I fell asleep and when I woke up I realized that you four were here." She said looking between him and Ava.

"That doesn't explain what you're doing in here." he said stepping a little closer to her. "We all have…gifts. What are your's?" he asked and her eyes fell to the floor as she zipped her mouth shut. "Well?"

She turned her eyes to Sam, feeling like he was the only one she needed to answer to. "Sam, your brother didn't know, but I can hear people's thoughts. Everyone's but your's. I don't know why, but I can't." he just looked at her.

"Why didn't you come down from the attic when you first saw Andy?" he asked feeling like she was the one that needed to be interrogated at the moment.

"I heard him thinking something about the smell of rotten eggs and knew he meant sulfur. I knew that meant there was probably a demon around and I wanted to avoid it as long as I could." He cocked his head to the side wondering how she knew that. "I'm a hunter too Sam, your brother didn't tell you?" she asked and he shook his head. "Anyway, I heard _her_ summoning the demon with her mind. So, I ran down here as fast as I could to try to stop her, but I was too late. That's when she started screaming." Sam glanced around the room.

When he did he noticed that the salt line was broken. "Who did that?" Sam asked Ava and she shook her head.

"I don't know maybe she-"

"She wouldn't do that, she's a hunter. She knows better." Sam interrupted her. "Ava, that line wasn't broken when I left… Ava?"

"What you don't think that I-?" she asked, but Sam interrupted her again.

"I'll tell you what I think. Five months, you're the only one with all that time you can't account for. And that headache you got? Happened right when the demon got Lilly."

"What are you trying to say?" Ava asked still crying.

"What happened to you?" he asked

"Nothing!" Ava yelled, but Sam kept glaring at her. All of a sudden she stopped crying, and smiled. "Had you goin' though didn't I?" Sam just kept staring at her. "Yeah," she wiped her face and flicked the tears at Maria, "I've been here a long time, and not alone either. People just keep showin' up. Children, like us. Batches of three or four at a time." She said with a shrug.

"And you killed all of them?" Sam asked Ava.

"I'm the undefeated heavy weight champ." She and Maria spoke together. Ava glanced at her where she was now leaning on the wall, and rolled her eyes. Sam looked at Maria, now believing that she really could read people's minds.

Maria just sat back and listened to her telling Sam how fun it was to kill people. When Maria saw Ava put her fingers to her temples she stepped forward and quickly broke her neck. Sam stared at her with an open mouth. "That's what I came down here to do, and I did it. She's the monster, not me. You know that right Sam?" she asked.

Sam nodded his head. "Yeah, I had my suspicions all along, you just confirmed them." He put his hand on her back to usher her out of the room when Jake stepped into the doorway.

He told them that he had been listening the whole time. Maria hadn't known because she didn't drop the whole thought barrier, just the one around Ava. Jake believed her when she said that she was a good person. So the three of them headed outside to do some planning.

"I think we can make it out of here now." Sam stated as we walked down the porch steps.

"But the acheri demon-" Jake started, but Maria interrupted.

"No, if she was the one controlling it then it should be gone."

"We can get out of here now." Sam stated giving Maria a small smile.

"No, not we." he said looking between Sam and Maria. "Only one of us is getting out of here, I'm sorry." They both gave him a questioning look. Then he started to explain how the yellow eyed demon came to him and told him that only one of them would make it out alive. It was the same thing the demon had told Maria.

She let Sam do the talking and soon they both laid down their weapons and Maria showed them that she didn't have one. She had been listening to Jakes thoughts, but he was a fast thinker and before she could stop him he punched Sam sending him flying before he backhanded her, making her fall to the ground on her side.

Sam was doing a damn good job of fighting Jake, but he was no match for Jakes super strength. She grabbed the knife that Sam had laid down, just incase she got the opportunity to use it on Jake, but she didn't need to. Before she knew it Sam had knocked Jake out cold. She walked up behind him as Sam raised the bar in his hand above his head ready to take out the military man, but he couldn't do it and dropped the piece of iron to the ground.

Maria was about to finish the job for him, but that's when she heard someone yell Sam's name and assumed that it was Dean. The night she had spent with Dean had made her make the decision to turn her life around, and she wanted to thank him for that. Being the kind of woman who had a one track mind, she forgot about Jake and headed alongside Sam to the sound of Deans voice. But she was also smart enough to keep her whole thought barrier down, so she could hear everyone's thoughts, except Sam's of coarse.

They had laid eyes on Dean when she heard Jakes thoughts start up from being knocked out. By the time she heard his thoughts on stabbing Sam with the knife she stupidly dropped, it was too late. He had already stabbed Sam. But Jake didn't move fast enough. She grabbed him by the head and broke his neck, just like she had broken Ava's.

She started sobbing as she watched Dean grab his little brother and scream his name as he died in his arms. She had never seen a man cry before, just that fact alone was enough to break her heart. But on top of that she was angry. At Jake, at Yellow Eyes, but most of all she was angry at herself. She hadn't heard Jake's thoughts in time. Some people thought about what they were going to do and then did it, but Jake, he was different. He was thinking about what he was going to do as he did it, and it didn't give her enough time to stop him. From that night on she vowed to better her gifts. Not because the yellow eyed demon wanted her too, but because she wanted to keep something like this from ever happening again.

They all just stood in shock for a while, before the man in the trucker hat, who Maria knew from reading his thoughts was Bobby Singer, walked over to her and started asking her questions. She averted her gaze to the ground, not wanting to look at Bobby's watery eyes. Not wanting to hear what any of them were thinking right now she put the barrier back up. "Who are you?" he asked

"My names Maria Morris. I'm a hunter like y'all. I also have special abilities, like Sam, except I read minds. That's why we were brought here. The yellow eyed demon put us in this… battle arena basically. He came to us in our dreams and told us that we had to be the last person standing. That's why army guy over there killed Sam." She explained everything to him and answered any question that he had.

The more they talked the more she found out about the man. He had known her uncle, mother and brother, and had seen her when she was a baby, but never after. "So, I'm assuming that you could use a ride?" he asked after Dean had laid his brother in the back seat of the impala and slid in next to him.

"Yeah, to a bus station would be nice." She said in a flat voice. "I wanna go back to my boring life now."

"I'm sorry, but I don't think that would be best." Bobby said making her tilt her head in questioning. "That diner you were workin' at is closed. Everyone in that place was killed when you and Sam disappeared. Nikki Jones is a suspect."

_Oh yay._ She thought and her face fell when she realized that the poor nice man that came by every night for dinner was now dead. So many people were dead alongside a fellow hunter "Okay," she sighed, "Well, I still need to go get my camaro. Do you…" she looked at the silently crying Dean "Need any help?" She said pulling her eyes from Dean, who was glaring at her through the car window, to look at Bobby. He nodded before they went to the car and she ducked into the passenger seat.


	4. Chapter 4

**Sleeping With The Ally**

**Disclaimer:** See Ch.1

**Chapter 4:**** All Hell Breaks Loose II**

Cold wind blew into the open window of the Camero as Maria drove down the dirt road that led to the abandoned house they had sat up camp in. But she wasn't paying attention to the chill that it sent through her. Instead she was trying to figure out what to say to the scruffy, trucker capped man sitting next to her with a bucket of fried chicken in his lap and a somber look on his face. She was listening to his thought's although she was sure he didn't know. He was thinking about how it was suspicious that she was the last one standing instead of Sam. Why, if she could read Jake's thoughts, didn't she kill him when he was thinking about killing Sam. From the little time he had spent around her she seemed genuinely sorry, but he just didn't trust her. The more she listened to his thoughts the more she felt like it was her fault that Sam was dead.

Sure, she knew nothing about Sam or Dean, but she felt for them, for Dean. She knew what he was going through. "You're awful quiet over there." Bobby spoke and she glanced at him, taking her eyes off of the road for a second to look into his sad, accusing ones.

Since he was now talking to her she stopped listening in on his thoughts. "Yeah, well," she said with a sigh, "I don't exactly know what to say." She didn't take her eyes off of the road. "It's my fault Sam is dead." Her voice cracked on the last word and she refused to look at Bobby.

"It's not your fault." His words surprised her considering what he had been thinking two minutes earlier. "If you could have stopped Jake you would of, right?" he asked and she took her eyes off the empty road to look at him.

"Of coarse." Her words came out, only a whisper. Then she cleared her throat and looked back at the road. "I heard Jake's thoughts, heard that he was going to stab him, but by the time I heard him, it was too late. I did the best I could." She said the last words so strongly that Bobby wondered who she was trying to convince, him or herself.

"I know you did. If your mother raised you to be the type of hunter and person she was, then I know you wouldn't harm anyone or anything unless they asked for it."

The mention of her mother was enough to make a pang of sadness shoot through her chest. "Thanks." She said with a nod before she focused once again on the road ahead of her. After the pang of guilt and sadness faded and her thoughts cleared she spoke again. "Listen, there's something I need to tell you." She swiped a lock of loose hair out of her face, "Normally I would keep something like this to myself, but I need to tell someone, or I'm going to explode." She said, with dread cycling through her body.

"Okay, out with it." He said somewhat tenderly considering that she hardly knew him.

"These, powers that I have…they're, they're getting stronger." She had no idea how she could tell a stranger something like this. Maybe it was because he had known her mother, but she wasn't sure. She just decided to trust him and hope for the best.

"How so?" he asked.

"I don't really know how to explain it. The best way I know to tell you is to show you."

"Is it gonna hurt?" he asked and she shook her head no. "Okay, then bring it on."

_God, he's brave._ She thought. "Hang on." She pulled over and killed the car. "Just don't freak out on me okay?" she asked and he nodded. "Okay, here goes nothing." She turned in her seat and looked into his eyes. _Bobby, you are going to reach inside the glove box, grab the gun that's in there and empty all the bullets out of it. Then ask me if Polly wants a cracker._

She watched as his big hand reached into the glove box and grabbed the pistol. He was like a zombie, moving slowly as if dazed. The bullets fell to the floor clanking against each other. Then he looked at her and said with a straight face, "Polly want a cracker?" she had to resist the small smile that threatened to grace her face at the silly, un Bobby like question. After a few seconds he shook his head and looked at her. "What the hell? You…" he looked in his hand then at the floor. "You made me do that?" he asked and she nodded. "How?"

"I don't know." She answered as she cranked the car and started driving again. He was staring at her, she could feel his eyes on her. "I just talked to you in my head and told you what to do and say and…you did it."

"When did you figure out that you could do that?"

"Before we left." She sent him a sheepish look. "I was thinking about how Dean needed to get some rest when I thought to myself "Dean, please go to sleep." And the next thing I knew he sat down at the table, laid his head down and went to sleep."

"Huh." Was all he said and she didn't want to read his mind. He was probably thinking about how much of a freak she was.

They both remained quiet as she pulled up in front of the house and killed the car. Bobby led the way inside, telling Dean they had brought him some food. He refused it of coarse and Bobby urged him to eat. He refused again. Maria took a seat at the table and let the two men talk. She would have listened to Dean's thoughts, but decided that there was too much pain, too many hurtful thoughts bouncing around in his head right now. Thought's that would remind her of how she felt when her family died.

It wasn't until Dean yelled at Bobby and pushed him that she spoke up. "Dean, please, stop." Her heart was aching for him.

He hadn't even realized she was in the room until she spoke. "Why are you even here?" his words were like a slap in the face to her, causing her to flinch from the cold chill that was in his voice.

"Don't take this out on her, Dean." Bobby said coming to her defense and she silently thanked him for it.

Dean looked from her to Bobby. "I'm sorry, please just go."

Bobby looked from Dean to her before he turned his back, said "You know where I'll be." and walked out leaving Maria behind.

She looked at Dean just in time to see a single silent tear fall. Her brows drew into a deep v as she debated on what to say to the man who blamed her for his brothers death. She took a deep breath and released it as she relaxed her face. "Dean," he wiped the back of his hand across his face before he looked up at her, "I know this may not be the right place, or time, but I've been wanting to thank you for a long time now."

He looked at her with a tired, careworn face that held a tad bit of confusion at her statement. "For what?" he asked out of pure curiosity.

"On the night that I first met you, I was considering suicide." His brows lightened from their permanent frown to a look of slight shock. "When my brother died, he used his last breaths to tell me to stop sleeping around. And I had kept that promise until I met you. I had let down everyone I loved. I had been unstable for a long time, and when I broke that promise, it was the last straw." She sighed and straightened the neckline of her black wife beater top out of the need to do something with her hands. "If you hadn't stayed after we…" she trailed off not knowing rather to say made love, hooked up, or just strait up had sex. But she went with her gut and said, "had sex. If you hadn't knocked on that bathroom door and asked if I was okay, I wouldn't be here right now."

His brows furrowed again, but his expression was a bit different than before. He didn't look at her, instead he placed his hands on the back of one of the chairs and stared at the floor. "Were you in my head that whole night?" She had forgotten that he knew what she could do and how long she had been able to do it. The shock of the question stunned her. "Were you?" his eyes snapped up to meet hers with a searing, emotionless glare.

"No." she answered in a shaky whisper. "I had already heard how the bartender was planning on putting roofies in my drink. How he called me a whore, how he was thinking about raping me and exactly what he was going to do to me in the process." Dean's face turned angry, as if he was thinking about finding the bartender and taking all his pent up aggravation and sadness on him. "I didn't want to get inside your head and take the chance of you thinking the same things. I'd felt so numb and alone for so long that I… I just wanted to… To feel _wanted_ for a little while. And you did that for me." Dean suddenly looked uncomfortable, like he would give anything to be anywhere else than here. Listening to her telling him how he made her _feel_.

"Dean," she said getting his attention again "I wasn't in your head the entire time, but after I found out you were a hunter, I thought you might have known what I could do and were meaning to kill me. So I listened in on you. Instead of hearing about how you were going to kill me or how much of a slut I was, I heard you thinking about how much you genuinely liked me. How it was awesome that I liked to drink beer instead of fruity girly drinks. And the thought that sold me on you, was how you wanted me to come on the next hunting trip with you and your brother. After that I stopped listening, because I knew you were one of the good ones. You're a rare find Dean Winchester." She stopped talking and looked into his eyes, wanting him to say something, anything that would tell her she wasn't wrong. That he was, indeed, a rare find.

"You listened in on me when I hugged you." He said realizing that it was no coincidence that she had answered his thought. "You heard me." He was looking at her as if she had betrayed him.

"Yes, but I didn't mean to. You surprised me and I lost my train of thought, which made me drop the barrier around you. The same barrier that I have around you right now." She answered as she walked around the table to stand face to face with him. "I could drop it right now if I wanted to. I could hear every single thought you are having about me, and Sam and Bobby and…yourself, but I won't. I won't invade your brain like that." She placed a hand on his shoulder and slid it up to rest on his neck. "But I will, if I think I need to protect you from yourself. So please, don't do anything stupid. Don't think like I did. Your life means too much to the people who know you." With that being the end of her speech, she pulled him to her, hugging him as he had hugged her a year ago. When she pulled back he was looking at her with a little less detest than before. "If you won't let Bobby stay with you, will you at least let me?" she asked with sad, hopeful eyes.

"No," he said, not taking his eyes off of her lightly freckled face, "I just want to be left alone."

"Okay," she slowly leaned around him and kissed his scruffy cheek. He blinked, and a tear slid down to rest on his lips. She resisted the urge to kiss it away. "I understand completely." She walked to the door and he followed. "I'll be staying at Bobby's so, you know where to call if you ever want to talk. Though I doubt you will." She gave him a sad smile, knowing he still half blamed her for Sam's death. She turned and nodded to Bobby who was waiting for her to get into her car so he could lead her to his house.

* * *

Once they got to Bobby's he gave her some clean sheets, a blanket and some clean towels and told her which room of his cozy little house she could call hers for the foreseeable future. She gave him her thanks and showered before making her bed and settling in for the night. She had just drifted off to sleep when she jerked awake and noticed a man standing at the end of her bed. She flicked the light on to find the yellow eyed demon staring at her with a smile on his face. "I'm dreaming." She thought out loud.

"Once again, so bright." He said mockingly.

"Shut the hell up you coward. You're so afraid that I'll kill you that you come to me when I'm asleep." She huffed as she stood up.

"I'm not afraid I'm smart. And you might not want to talk to me like that dear Ria."

"Why the hell not? You ruined my life. Sam is dead because of you and your stupid little games." She said wanting nothing more than to exercise this douche right here and now, but knowing that it would do no good in a dream. "and don't call me Ria."

"I have to say, Sam was the one I was really betting on. But you turned out to be the last woman standing. Congratulations, you're the newest miss America. How does it feel?" he asked making her cringe.

"Like shit. Whatever it is that you want me to do, whatever I have to do to lead this army of yours. I'm _not_ goin' to do it." She said standing up a little straighter.

"Oh yes, you are." He said taking a step closer to her as a menacing smile spread across his face.

"And how are you going to make me?" she asked challenging him when she knew she probably shouldn't.

"Fist I'll hunt down your little informer, what's his name, Cameron. Then, I'll get to Bobby and Dean and make sure they live long enough to know the squishy taste of each others intestines. And after that, I'll hunt down everyone who ever laid eyes on you and-"

"Fine." She said just wanting him to shut up. He raised his eyes at her skeptically. "I said fine so fine. What the hell do you want me to do?" she asked felling tears sting the back of her eyes. He just smiled at her and slipped a piece of paper into her hand.

"Meet me here, in two days." Then he snapped his fingers and was gone.

* * *

She shot straight up in bed breathing hard before she felt the paper in her hand and opened it to see an address. She sighed and threw the piece of paper onto the old nightstand. She didn't know if she was really going to meet Yellow Eyes there, but she new that she needed to make her mind up soon. She was smart enough to know that whatever this demon wanted her to do wasn't going to be a bed of roses. It was going to be hard and probably gruesome. She glanced at the digital clock on the night stand and saw that she had only been asleep for an hour. So she laid back down and attempted to get more sleep, but the bad feeling in the pit of her stomach wouldn't let her.

She ended up going down stairs. She had to pass the library in order to get to the living room and found Bobby as his desk reading a book. "Couldn't sleep?" Bobby asked.

She shook her head no. "Nightmares." She answered as she ran her hand across her eyes.

"There's beer in the fridge if ya drink it." He said and she gave him her thanks before she went in and grabbed one. She plopped down on the couch and turned on the TV as she took a sip. Somewhere between a black and white episode of the Adams family and the middle of her beer she drifted off into a dreamless sleep.

The next morning she woke up and dressed in a pair of worn skinny jeans, and a black v neck t-shirt before putting her hair up into a messy bun. Once she looked presentable she went down stairs and helped herself to the little bit of coffee that was left in the pot in the kitchen. She had just taken a swig of the lukewarm liquid when she heard a knock at the door. "Sam, good to see you…up and around." Bobby's words caused her to cover her mouth to keep the coffee from spewing from between her lips.

She immediately dropped the barrier from around everyone's thoughts, but it was Dean's that she paid attention to. She learned quickly that he had made a deal with a cross roads demon and only walked away with a year to live. She couldn't help the sob that came from her lips and she had to cover her mouth to keep the three men in the library from hearing her. She had hoped to get to know Dean, to be around him for more than a year, but that hope was just a thought in the wind now.

She sighed and pulled herself together as she wiped her face and pulled the piece of paper out of her pocket. Now she not only held Dean, Bobby and Cameron's lives in her hands, but Sam's too. And she'd be damned if she was going to let Yellow Eyes get to him again. So she shoved the paper back into her pocket and walked out of the kitchen and into the library as Dean and Bobby were heading out, leaving her alone with Sam. "Hey, uh… I never got your name."

"Maria Morris." She said with a nod, not able to meet his eyes.

"So, Maria, you're staying with Bobby now?" he asked curious about the other hunter with abilities like him.

"Uh, yeah, but I have to get going. There's something I need to go do. So, I'll see you later Sam." She said finally meeting his eyes and she gave him a small smile and ducked out of the back door. She heard Bobby yelling at Dean, but ignored it, got into her Camaro and drove away before they realized she was gone.

* * *

Eleven hours later she stopped in Lander Wyoming and booked a room at the Silver Spur Motel under the name of Holly Barns. Driving tired her out faster than anything else and she went to sleep the moment her head hit the pillow even though it was only eight-o'clock.

The next morning she pulled herself out of bed and into the shower. When she got out she towel dried her hair and dressed in her usual drab colored tank top, jeans and a jean jacket. She didn't even feel like bothering to put her hair in a ponytail before she packed her few belongings and checked out of the room. It only took an hour to get to the address that Yellow Eyes had written on the paper.

She was on a random dirt road covered in leaves when she pulled off to the side, stopped in front of a set of railroad tracks and got out of her car. She was wondering why the demon had sent her here as she brushed her loose wavy brow hair out of her face. She turned to get back in her car when Yellow Eyes appeared. "Howdy Ria."

She scowled at him calling her the nickname that only her family had used, but otherwise ignored it. "Okay, I'm here. What now?" she asked and he smiled at her obedience.

"I want you to go, oh say, about fifty miles that-a-way. There's a cemetery, a crypt. I need you to open that for me." He said pointing in the direction that he wanted her to go. "Think you can manage that Ria?"

She gritted her teeth at his incessant use of her nickname. "Yeah, sure. Whatever." She said emotionlessly. "But let me ask you something. Why don't you just go do it yourself?"

"Oh, I can't go that way, not yet." He said, his eyes landing on the tracks.

"I'm guessing that those tracks are made of iron, and that they circle the whole cemetery." She said dropping the emotional wall she had set up between herself and her situation.

"Yes, once again, you are as bright as they come." He said sarcastically.

"If that's true… then there's a reason that someone put them there. There's a reason you can't go in there." She was thinking out loud, but she saw something flash across his face that made her change her mind.

"If you're gonna open that crypt for me then you're gonna need a key." He said taking a gun out of his pocket.

"A gun?" she asked never having heard about the colt.

"Oh, not just any gun. This is the only gun in the universe that can shoot me dead." He said pointing the gun at his head. She just stared at him. "Here, take it."

She took it when he held it out to her and gave it a once over. It looked old, but well cared for. Her eyes darkened as she gripped it and let it fall to her side. "Tell me why I shouldn't use this on you right here and now?" her words were hard as stone, and yellow eyes realized that his minion was not as obedient as he thought.

"Because, if you shoot me my friends will make your life a living hell. But on the other hand, if you do this for me. If you open that crypt I will bring your family back. Your precious mother, your uncle, your brother, hell I'll even bring back your daddy. If you open this crypt you'll have your army and your family."

"If I open this crypt, the whole world will end."

"No, it won't. It will be the beginning of a better world. One where your family will be alive and protected. More than that, they'll be royalty." She cocked the gun and pointed it at his head. "Little girl, this is your chance to have your life back. What do ya say? It's your call." _God forgive me._ She prayed as she lowered the gun and eased the hammer back down. "Good girl." Yellow Eyes said with a smile.

She drove to the cemetery and waited in her car until nightfall like Yellow Eyes suggested before she entered. She felt like she was being followed as she made her way to the crypt, but when she looked around she saw no one. When she got to the door of the crypt, she recognized the inscriptions on in. It was a gate to hell. "Howdy Maria." Sam's voice made her jump and turn to face him. She just watched as Dean, Bobby and a woman she had never seen before all surrounded her, all pointing guns at her head.

"So this is why you left without saying a word?" Bobby asked looking hurt and a sharp pain shot though her chest.

"I'm sorry Bobby, but I have to." She said, a tear escaping her right eye. "If I do this, I'll get my mother back, I'll have a family again. Yellow Eyes promised." She said knowing how it sounded to them.

"What's dead should stay dead." Said Dean and she turned to face him.

"Says you of all people?" She said making him give her a pleading look. "You did what you had to, to save your brother. Let me save mine, please?" she pleaded, but none of them dropped their guns. Not that she expected them to. _You're going to put your gun down and walk away_. She thought as she looked into Ellen's eyes then Bobby's then Dean's. she tried it on Sam, but it didn't work. So instead she quickly turned her back on him and shoved the gun into the hole on the door.

As soon as the gun was in the door a shot ran out, loud in her ears. A pain shot through her shoulder then another shot and another pain in her other shoulder. "Sam!" she heard Deans voice behind her as she fell to the ground on the verge of passing out. With hazy vision, she could make out a gun in Sam's hand that was pointed at her head. She heard the shot sound, but when the pain didn't come she opened her eyes weakly to see Dean having a stare down with his brother. "What the hell's the matter with you man?" he asked glancing down at Maria for a second.

"Why are you protecting her?" Sam asked, his face contorted with an evil look. As Maria started to get up. "She's working with Yellow Eyes."

Before Dean could answer, the lock on the door stopped turning. "Oh, no." she heard Bobby say and Ellen asked what the door was. "It's hell." Dean pulled the gun out of the door. "Everyone take cover now!" Bobby yelled and Dean quickly grabbed Maria and roughly propped her up behind a tombstone before jumping behind the one next to her.

She curled herself into a ball. "What have I done? What have I done?" she kept repeating as she closed her eyes and tucked her head between her knees. Black demon smoke after black demon smoke rushed out of the open doors.

"Come on, we gotta shut that gate!" Ellen yelled over the roaring that came from the doors. Maria watched as Ellen, Sam and Bobby ran over and started trying to push them closed. She got up as fast as she could, ignoring the pain that radiated through shoulders and chest, and started pushing on the doors. She knew they wouldn't reject her help, even if she was the one that opened them in the first place.

"Probably shouldn't play with Daddy's guns." Yellow eyes voice caught her attention and she looked behind her while still pushing. Dean flew across the cemetery, hitting his head on one of the stones when he landed. She called out his name, but Bobby told her to keep pushing. So she did, but she also zoned in on the voice of Yellow Eyes. "Tell me, ever heard the expression if a deals too good to be true it probably is?" he asked Dean who was pinned to the headstone. "That goes for you too sweet cheeks." He called out to Maria.

If she wasn't already crying from pain, she would have started. "You son of a bitch!" she yelled at him, but didn't stop pushing the door closed. She listened to everything that Yellow Eyes said to Dean. Then, as the doors were closing she heard a shot echo across the cemetery. When they were fully closed she, Ellen and Bobby turned to see Sam and Dean looking at a man who looked like an older version of Dean. She assumed that it was John. Her eyes landed on the yellow eyed demon where he laid dead on the ground.

When John disappeared she knew it was all over and collapsed with her back against the tomb. Bobby and Ellen came to her side. "Are you okay?" Bobby asked as he kneeled down beside her, putting a hand on her shoulder.

She winced, but looked into his tense eyes with her watery ones. "Bobby I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I should have known it was too good to be true. I should have known he was lyin'." She said expecting him to get mad at her like he had Dean when he found out he stupidly sold his soul.

But instead he placed a hand on her cheek. "I know you are. And yeah, you should have known, but your family is your weakness and he knew that." He knew he too would have done anything to get his wife back. "How about we get you cleaned up?" he asked as he and Ellen, who had remained silent, walked her to her car.

She shucked off her ruined denim jacket and let Bobby bandage her shoulder. When he was done, they all headed to where the brothers were talking near the Impala. "You're my big brother. There's nothing I wouldn't do for you." She heard Sam say.

"Just like there's nothing she wouldn't do for her big brother." Ellen spoke finally as they walked up to the brothers. "I knew your mother." Ellen explained to Maria with a sad smile. When Maria looked away from Ellen her eyes landed on Dean's and she instantly knew that they were on the same page. He understood why she did what she did, but as she glanced at Sam and the hard look he was giving her she knew he didn't. A small tinge of detest for him, ran through her as she glanced at the bandages on both of her shoulders. She was one who held on tight to grudges and Sam shooting her instantly made her have a grudge against him. But in order to hold on to Dean and Bobby she would have to over look it.

"Dean, Sam, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt anyone, I…" she trailed off not knowing how to follow that up. "There's no excuse for what I've done, but I can guarantee all of you that I will help take down every nasty son of a bitch that I let out." Her back straightened and she stood taller under Sam's hateful gaze.

"Well, Yellow Eyes may be dead. But like she said, a lot more got through that gate." Ellen said, breaking the tension a little.

"How many you think?" Dean asked.

"A hundred, maybe two hundred. It's an army." Sam said looking straight at Maria. "He's unleashed an army that you're supposed to lead."

She crossed her arms over her chest hugging herself as she cowered slightly under his gaze. "I'm not leading anything, no matter what anyone or anything says. I'm on the good side of this battle now."

"Hope to hell you kids are ready, cause the war has just begun." Bobby said and Maria looked to Sam and Dean.

"Well then," Dean said as a smile spread across his face before he walked to the trunk of the Impala and tossed the colt into the secret compartment. "We've got work to do." Ellen and Bobby just smiled at him before they headed off to Bobby's truck. Maria stayed behind. She and Dean looked at each other before they both sent Sam an awkward look.

"Okay, I can take a hint." He said before he turned and slid into the passenger seat of the Impala.

"So, am I welcome to tag along with y'all or would you prefer I work alone?" she asked as she hugged herself and ran her hands over her arms in an attempt to warm them up.

"Here." Dean said taking notice of the goose bumps on her arms as he shucked off his black jacket and put it around her shoulders.

"Oh, you don't have t-" she tried to give him back his jacket.

"You're freezing, I insist." He said pulling it firmly around her with a nod of stubbornness and a smile. "And I'm not letting you work alone. You can tag along with us or hang back with Bobby, but you'll always have a place in my backseat." She smirked at what he said and glanced at the car. "Uh, I uh… didn't mean it like that."

She laughed at the pink that tinted his cheeks. "Of coarse you didn't" she said with a smile as she bumped his shoulder with hers.

"Even if I did, the offer still stands." he said with a flirty smirk at her that reminded her of the Dean she met at the bar.

She took a step to stand in front of him, catching his eyes with hers as she did. She grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled him into her for a long, passionate kiss. He looked at her in blissful shock before they smirked at each other. "Maybe some other time. Like when I don't have two bullet holes in me." She said then walked past him to her car, smiling at him before she ducked inside and started the engine.


	5. Chapter 5

**Sleeping With The Ally**

**Disclaimer:** See Chapter one.

**Chapter 5:**** The Double Mint Twins and A Guy Named Dylan.**

Maria sat sound asleep in the back of the Impala. Dean stared out windshield, his hand gripping the steering wheel as his brother rambled on and on. "Why do you trust her so much Dean? She teamed up with yellow eyes and opened the devils gate.

"I just do Sam." Dean answered, uninterested in dignifying himself to his little brother.

"I don't get it. One night with the girl and you're dragging her along with us?" Sam questioned again hoping to pull a response out of Dean. He, unlike his older brother didn't trust the woman who sat in the back seat, snoring slightly with her head leaned against the window.

"I don't know what to tell you man. I just thought…"

"Just thought what? That we could give the poor, mislead stray a home?" he asked, the space between his brows creasing in aggravation.

"Would you give it a rest Sam? It's late and I just want to find a place to crash for the night." Dean looked across his shoulder at his brother with half asleep eyes. Sam remained quiet. "Where's the nearest motel?"

"There should be one a few miles ahead." Sam directed flatly.

Fifteen minutes later they pulled into the parking lot and killed the car. Dean turned in his seat to wake Maria, who had slid to lay curled up into a ball in the small backseat. Her body was shaking under his jacket, brows drawn into a v and mouth slightly agape. He wondered how she could sleep in such an uncomfortable position. With a hesitant hand he reached out and shook her arm. She shot straight up in the seat. Wild, scared eyes landed on his as he jumped from the shock of her fast response. "We're here."

She relaxed realizing that she was not in the danger that she originally thought she was in. "Where's here?" she asked swiping her finger tips across her eyes a few times with a yawn.

"The Clarion Inn. Rochester Minnesota." He stated before he got out and started getting his things out of the trunk. "One room, two beds and a cot?" he asked as Maria and Sam joined him.

"NO." Sam and Maria said at the same time making Dean looked back and forth between the two before rolling his eyes and shaking his head.

"I've already surrendered my car over to Bobby so we wouldn't be wasting gas." She said not liking the fact that her car was sitting at Bobby's scrap yard along with his piece of crap cars. "I'm not givin' up my personal space too." She argued suddenly more awake. Not wanting to start a fight, she decided to leave out the fact that she didn't want to room with the guy that tried to kill her.

For a split second she forgot about the bullet holes in her shoulders and grabbed her bag out of the trunk. A yelp of pain left her parted lips as the duffle bag fell from her grip to land on the ground. Dean bent down and threw it over his shoulder. "You don't have to-" she started.

Dean cut her off when he pushed the side of her v neck t-shirt aside to reveal the half dollar sized circle of fresh blood that seeped into the pad covering the exit wound on her left shoulder. "Yeah, I've got it."

"Dean I'm serious, just throw the strap over me and I can get it." She argued taking a swipe at her bag, but he pulled back making her miss.

"You're staying in a room with us. I'll take the rollaway bed." He ignored her and started heading to the office where Sam sat waiting on them.

"No." she started stomping after him still taking swipes for her bag, but missed. "I'm not staying in a room with a man that tried to kill me, Dean." He stopped and turned to look at her with a tired face. Her face faded from stubborn to pleading and Dean was finding it hard to fight with her.

"You can't carry your own bag. How are you going to fight if one of those things you let out come to find you?" he asked rendering her silent. How could he care so much about her well being when he didn't even know her? "I'm not going to let something or…" he looked around at the dimly lit, sketchy neighborhood, "someone, murder you in your sleep."

"Why do you care so much?" she voiced her thought and now it was his turn to be rendered silent. He didn't answer her question. He just pushed her bag higher on his shoulder and headed for the office.

She decided to let him win this time and followed him into the office. A chubby man with thinning hair stood behind the counter, eyeing the two men with a single woman. His judging eyes twinkled disgustingly making her stomach twist. The man just smiled a half toothless smile when Dean asked for a single room with two queens and a rollaway bed.

Once in the room they each claimed their beds, Sam taking the bed closest to the bathroom, which was in the far left corner of the room, and the sink in the far right covered by a half wall with beads hanging above it. Dean, despite Maria's attempts at arguing, slept in the rollaway bed that he situated along the space between the half wall and the tv, which was across from the foot of her bed. Her bed was closest to the door and the thinly curtained window that had a round table and two overly stuffed chairs sitting in front of it. It was a matter of minutes before her soft snores filled the room.

~~The Next Night~~

"So, are one of these bartenders thinking about roofing you like that other guy was?" Dean asked from where they sat at the bar of The Rusty Anvil pub.

She sat quietly, focusing hard on a man who was flirting with a woman wearing a jean mini skirt and a halter top. "That one's thinking about his gay lover" she answered taking her eyes off of the two to look at a laughing Dean and Sam.

"You're kidding me." Sam said taking in how straight the man looked and his good taste in women. "That guy has to be straight."

She laughed and shook her head. "I'm not kidding. He's bi. You see that guy sitting in the corner over there?" she discreetly pointed to a skinny man with a tiny bit of stubble covering his cheeks and chin. "That's his lover."

"Ugh." Dean said shaking his head as if to rid it of the thought. "Okay so what about that one?" he asked and she rolled her eyes with a sigh. "What?"

"Are you trying to give me a headache?" she asked with a small laugh, but didn't give him time to answer before she looked toward the other guy and remained quiet for a while. The guy turned from serving another customer at the corner of the bar. His eyes met hers and they exchanged smiles before he noticed Dean sitting next to her. He gave her another small smile before he looked at the floor and turned to take a bottle off of the top shelf.

"So?" Dean asked having noticed the exchange and the long bout of silence afterwards.

"Fist he was thinking about how he missed his ex-girlfriend. Then he noticed me and thought about how it… was a shame that I'm here with you." She said it hesitantly, not wanting to hurt his feelings.

"Oh, I'm sorry am I cramping your style?" he asked snarkily.

"No." she said leaning back a little pretending to be offended. "Am I cramping yours? I mean you only have a year to live, you should be living it up." She said jokingly.

"No, but I do think I'm going to go introduce myself to those twins over there." He said leaning back to send a smile to the two girls that where eyeing him as they smiled and waved. Maria turned to look at the girls, unknowingly glaring at them. The two blonds were both wearing lime green strapless dresses that barely covered their asses. They noticed her and sent a catty look her way.

"Have fun with the double mint twins." She replied with a fake happiness that he didn't even catch. With him gone she now sat awkwardly with Sam who was drinking a beer and staring at the tv on the wall. "So are you gonna be looking for a date tonight too?" she asked turning to Sam who just glanced over at her.

"No, that was always Dean's thing." He answered as he pulled a book out of his inner jacket pocket and started reading.

"You know just as well as I do that you can't undo a deal." She scooted over to take the seat that Dean had previously been occupying. "You're not going to find an answer in any book." She spoke gently, hoping not to step on any buttons that would make him go off on her.

"Look, Dean asked you to tag along, not me. If you want to help, do it by staying out of our business." His words were so cold that a slap in the face would have hurt less.

"You don't like me and you don't trust me, I get it. I heard you and Dean talking in the car last night." Sam looked at her with softer eyes now, knowing that she had heard him call her a lost puppy. "You don't understand why he trusts me so much and to be completely honest I don't know either."

"Then why are you here?" he asked looking at her across his shoulder.

"The same reason you are, to kick ass. Be it demon, ghost, vampire or whatever else throws itself at us. That and to try and make up for the fact that I screwed up." She used her whole hand to point to herself before she waved to the bartender signaling for another drink. When the woman came over Maria ordered a Jack and Coke. A few minutes later she got it and her attention turned back to Sam. "I'm sorry. I can say that a thousand times and rather I mean it or not won't make a difference. You will probably still see me as a, what was it, a poor mislead stray?" she asked leaning forward in an attempt to see Sam's face that was looking in the other direction. He noticed and looked at her letting her know he meant what he said. "I was mislead, and I may not have my mother, my brother or my uncle anymore, but I'm not a stray."

Just as she finished what she was saying Dean came over and stole a sip of his brothers beer. "I'll see you folks later."

"Where are you going?" Sam asked as Dean started walking away, a twin on each arm.

"To have some fun." Dean called before he walked out of the place.

"Well," Sam sighed as he turned back to Maria, "looks like we're taking a cab." He grabbed his book and stepped down off the barstool. "You coming?" he asked.

She swiveled around in the chair to look at him. "No, I'll…catch up later. I…need a few more drinks." She explained before she turned back to the bar and started sipping her drink, drowning herself in the music that echoed loudly around the place.

Five drinks and two shots later the bartender who had been thinking about his ex-girlfriend came over. "Can I get you another?" he asked with a small smile on his clean-shaven face.

"Sure, Jack and Coke please." She gave him a sad smile as she pushed him her empty glass.

He took it and pored a generous amount of Jack Daniels into the glass before spraying in the Coke. "So, that guy that left with the bimbo twins, is he your boyfriend?" she just stared up at him. His brown eyes stared down at her through his long blond hair that stopped at his chin, looking as sad as she felt inside.

"No." she answered with a shake of her head before looking down at her hands that were folded around her glass.

"But you want him to be." He said leaning down to be eye level with her.

"It's that obvious huh?" she asked and the guy just shrugged then swiped his hair out of his face. "I feel like a stupid schoolgirl." An awkward laugh escaped her lips as she looked up at the bartender.

"Guys like him can't see what they have sitting right in front of them." He said but she didn't reply. She looked away and took a long swing of her drink. "If he can't see how beautiful you are, then it's his loss."

The corners of her mouth pulled up slightly, sadly, as she smiled at her hands then looked up at him. "You don't even know me."

"No, but I think I would like to. Hi I'm Dylan." He stretched his hand out to her and she just looked at him, staring hard into his eyes, listening to his thoughts. Everything going on in his head was exactly what she would have been thinking before she met Dean. That feeling of just wanting to be touched, to feel loved for even just two seconds.

"Maggie and I think I should get going." She said rubbing her bloodshot eyes before she hopped down off of the stool for the first time since walking into the place. Her knees gave out and when she stood back up she swayed from side to side.

"Whoa, hey. Maggie, hang on." The guy ran around the bar to help her stand. "How about I walk you out and call you a cab?" the guy asked but Maria shook him off.

She had been more smashed than this before and managed to take care of herself just fine. "No, I'll walk."

"Then let me walk you. This neighborhood isn't exactly trustworthy." He said not giving up.

She looked at him, taking in his caring brown eyes and the strands of blond hair that hung in front of his left one. "Fine." She sighed and he started walking her out of the bar. "The Clarion Inn. Room 17." She sighed as she leaned heavily on his shoulder even thought she didn't really need to.

After ten minutes of slow walking they came to stand in front of the room. Deep male laughter mixed with the high pitched giggle of two women invaded their ears along with the music, Deans nude silhouette could be seen through the thin curtains of the window. He did a little jig before pulling one of the women to him and started making out with her. Even drunk, Maria's stomach twisted with jealousy before she swallowed it down and turned to see Sam in the car reading a book with a flashlight.

"So you're sharing a room with those guys?" Dylan asked, his arm still around her thin waist to support her swaying body. She hummed out a positive answer while trying to block out the irritating giggles. "Why?"

"I honestly don't know." She sighed as she looked from where Sam was staring at them from inside the impala, to Dylan.

"Do you want me to get you your own room?" he asked and she shook her head. "My treat."

"You're too nice." She said as she looked away from Dylan to stand up on wobbly legs. "I'll just sleep in the car until they're done."

"Alright if that's what you're comfortable with." She was glad that Dylan didn't argue with her.

She placed her hands on each side of his neck. "You're a really good guy, Dylan. I wish I could stay and get to know you better."

Before Dylan could reply Dean and the two messily dressed blonds walked out of the room. "Who's this?" Dean asked eyeing the guy who hooked his arm around Maria's side as he turned to look toward the motel room door.

"Dylan." He stated with an outstretched hand that Dean didn't take.

"Hey, you're the bartender from the…uh, the place we were just at." The twin on Dean's right said with a tilt of her head.

"The bar. The Rusty Anvil bar." Maria stated making the girl make an "Oh…okay" face.

"Yeah, that's me. Dylan the bartender." He said quickly breaking the tense moment between Maria and the dumb blonds. "Maggie here was having a little trouble walking. So here she is and I'm gonna leave now." He stated before he turned to Maria and gave her a quick awkward smile. "Bye."

The double mint twins winked at Dean then followed in behind Dylan, stumbling and giggling as they looked back at Dean. Sam and Maria shared a look and a shrugged before Sam got out of the car. "Bobby called. He thinks we should head to Lincoln, Nebraska."

"Alright, lets get packed up then." Dean said, way too cheery for Maria's liking.

They all packed in silence and threw their things into the trunk and climbed once again into the car.


	6. Chapter 6

**Sleeping With The Ally**

**Disclaimer:** See chapter one.

**Chapter 6:**** The Magnificent Seven**

"Whoo hoo!" Deans excited whoop echoed around the car vibrating Maria's eardrums sending a shockwave of pain through her head as he ramped a hill in the road.

"Dean, could you quiet down please? And drive, I don't know, slower maybe?" Maria asked tiredly sarcastic with her palm over her eyes in the back seat. But Dean just laughed and kept on driving the way he was.

"Hey I appreciate you two giving me some time with the double mint twins." He said slapping Sam on the knee making him pull and uncomfortable looking face. Maria just hummed out a positive answer as Sam assured his older brother that it was no problem. "Really? I gotta say I was expecting a weary sigh or an eye roll, something."

"Like Maria said, you should be having a little fun." Sam glanced back at the still slightly drunken woman.

"I'm in violent agreement with you there. Speakin' of Ria, what exactly did I interrupt back there?" Dean asked glancing back as Maria sat up and folded her arms on the back of the seat before she propped her chin up on them looking sleepy.

"Nothing." She said with a groan. "You left, Sam left, and I stayed behind and got to know Dylan. I drank too much and he walked me back. End of story." She answered knowing that Dean had a pretty good idea of what he interrupted.

"Are you sure that's the end of the story? Because it looked like if I wasn't in the room then you and Blondie would have been." He asked with a smirk as he looked at her in the rear view mirror.

"Dean, I don't think it's any of our business what she does with her…business." Sam said, noticing Maria's brows that were drawn into a deep v.

"Yes, thank you Sam." Maria said overly enthusiastic before leaning forward over the seat to see Deans face. "My business is none of your business. That is unless your business is interested in mine." His face contorted into one that said he was trying to decipher the meaning of her words. She smiled to herself as she sat back down in the back seat with her arms folded across her black t-shirt covered chest.

"Wait, what?" he asked. "Is there a new meaning to the word business that I don't know about?" he asked Sam who just shrugged. "What the heck was that supposed to mean?" Dean asked looking at her in the mirror again.

"Let me know when you figure it out and we'll have a talk. Oh, and don't call me Ria.

"Okay, Mia it is." He said not giving up on using a nickname for her. "So, what's Bobby got?" Dean asked brushing off what just happened to look between his brother and Maria.

"Not much. A crop failure and a cicada swarm outside of Lincoln Nebraska." Sam answered.

"So finally some demonic omens?" Maria asked perking up in the back seat, ready to prove herself to the Winchesters who seemed to look at her with belittling eyes. Sam more so than Dean.

"Or a bad crop and a bug problem." Dean said glancing back at her. After that she sat back and listened to them talk about the gate being opened and the storm clouds that appeared over 17 different cities. She had spent three days at Bobby's house waiting for something apocalypse like to happen, but nothing. That's when she and the guys left out in search for signs of demons. That night is when they stopped at the motel in Rochester, Minnesota and spent the next day looking for signs there. That only resulted in her getting drunk and letting some guy walk her home. Strike that, he wasn't just some guy. She had a feeling that if she wasn't on the road 24/7 that he might be _the_ guy. There was just something about him that stuck with her, maybe it was just because he was nice and didn't seem to be judging her and didn't just want to get into her pants. But, as it was, she _was _on the road and Dylan was long gone.

She was pulled out of her thoughts by Sam waving his hand in front of her face. "We're stopping for food, want anything?"

"Just water for me, thanks." She said with a small smile that he half assed returned. After all, he did understand what it was like to be hung over. After getting her bottle of water she popped an aspirin and passed out on the back seat.

Several hours later she awoke to the car slowing to a stop. The recently risen sun beat down into dry, sensitive eyes. She groaned from the uncomfortable morning light and reached into her purse to pull out her sunglasses. "Where are we?" she asked looking at the brothers before glancing outside the car. They were at a drive in restaurant. Upon examining the menu that sat on a pole next to the window she discovered that they were at Sonic. "Foods on me." She held her credit card out for Dean to take, but he brushed it aside and asked her what she wanted. "Jr. Double Cheeseburger, large cheese fries and a route 44 green apple sprite." Dean and Sam just looked at her with raised brows. "What? I like to eat. And green apple sprite taste like a jolly rancher." She said before falling back to slump into the seat with a sigh.

After she and Sam had finished eating they headed out to meet Bobby at the house. "So we're eatin' bacon cheeseburgers for breakfast are we?" Bobby asked seeing the half eaten burger in Deans hand as they exited the car.

"I'm not the only one. Some one had a burger _and_ large cheese fries." Dean answered with a sideways look at Maria.

"I drank too much last night, okay? Gim'me a break." She said before brushing past the people and heading over to the house. "Lets find out what we have here, shall we?" she asked was he jogged up the stairs.

"Housekeeping!" Maria yelled in a fake Mexican accent as she knocked on the door. Dean gave her a sideways looked. "I watch family guy, I can't imitate Consuela?" She said with a shrug. When no one answered Dean hip bumped her to the side to pick the lock while Maria pulled out her knife.

The putrid smell of death hit her nose like a speeding brick wall, making her recoil in disgust and cover her nose with the back of her hand. "Oh, god, that's horrid." She said, the smell stinging her eyes. Whatever was dead must have been locked up in the stuffy house for a very long time.

Bobby nudged her getting her attention before he broke off from the others to search the house. She walked into the living room behind him. The sight of three dried out bodies on the couch made her stomach twist with disgust. "That's just sad." Bobby heard her say under her breath, but didn't say anything.

As they were searching for sulfur they all heard a creak out on the deck of the house. Dean got their attention and silently told them he was going to go take a look. She stayed behind Bobby, knife gripped tightly in her hand, as they made their way along the side of the house. They walked around the corner just in time to see some guy knee Dean in the face, knocking him to the ground. "Isaac, Tamera?" Bobby asked with a smile on his face. Maria, having never met them before, looked at them skeptically.

"Hello, bleeding here." Dean said holding up a hand and Maria looked down at his bleeding nose before walking around him and nudging the two people out of the way to grab his hand and help him up. "Thanks." He said with a smile.

"No problem, you're the one being help up by a girl." She said with a smug face making Dean roll his eyes.

Tamera smiled at the two of them. "So who are your friends Bobby?" she asked as Sam appeared from around the other corner. He told her who the boys were. "And what about the girl?" Tamera's accent made the word girl sound as if Maria was a three year old.

"Woman, if you don't mind." Maria corrected as nicely as she could. "And I'm just another hunter." She answered vaguely. "Maria."

"So you're the one who opened the devils gate." The man observed making Maria sink back into herself like a little kid caught with her hand in the cookie jar. She didn't know how they knew or who all else knew by now, but she hoped it wasn't _that_ many people.

"You'd loose your head if it wasn't for me." Tamera said to Isaac as Maria walked into the room with Sam, Bobby and Isaac.

"So how long have you two been married?" Sam asked the couple while Maria started looking at the creepy mobile type thing hanging from the ceiling. She couldn't resist poking the naked, fabric stomach of the baby doll that hung from the center of it.

"8 Years this past June." Tamera answered before Isaac kissed her on the head making Maria smile at the sweet sight. "What about you, Maria, how long have you and Dean been together?" Maria choked on her own saliva at the unexpected question and she pressed her fingertips to her neck as she coughed to clear her throat. Sam laugh and Tamera and Isaac looked confused.

"Oh, uh…" she said glancing back at Dean who was flirting with the girl on the other end of the phone. "We're not together." She could feel color tinting her hot cheeks.

Dean walked into the room and hung up the phone. "Get this, that whole family's cause of death? Dehydration and starvation." Maria sat quiet while thinking to herself as the other's talked it through.

But her attention was pulled from her thoughts when Isaac spoke. "You guys seem nice enough, but this ain't Scooby Doo and we don't play well with others." Maria and Sam both raised their eyebrows at his statement.

"Well I think we could cover a lot more ground if we just work together." Sam stated trying to reason with them.

"No offense, but we ain't teaming with the damn fools who couldn't keep a little girl from opening the devils gate in the first place." Isaac said with a pointed look at Maria.

"Excuse me?" Maria asked as she kicked herself off of the wall she had been leaning against to stalk up to Isaac. "Little girl? I may have been foolish, but I am _not_ some stupid little girl and I have been trying my best to make up of my mistakes since the day I made them."

"Isaac, like you've never made a mistake." Tamera stepped between them and tried to defuse the tension in the room.

But Isaac leaned around her to look at Maria "Oh yeah, yeah, locked my keys in the car, turned my laundry pink. Never brought on the end of the world though."

"Alright that's enough." Dean said noting Maria's bowed up stature.

Maria now said nothing and just stood back and locked her jaw shut, clenching down so hard that pain shot through her back teeth, while Isaac hounded her about her mistake. "There are a couple hundred more demons out there because of you and there ain't enough hunters in the world to handle something like this. _You_ brought war down on us, on _all_ of us."

Tamera grabbed Isaac and pulled him from the room. The four remaining people just looked at each other. "Excuse me." Maria said turning around to head for the back door. From there she stalked into the woods that framed the back yard. Angry tears streamed down her face as she searched for something to take her anger out on. Finally, twenty feet into the patch of forest she found a lone rotten stump and started kicking. With each kick, she released a grunt of anger that eased the build up she was feeling inside.

She was standing there, breathing hard as she stared down at the destroyed stump, tears still slowly streaking her wet cheeks, when Dean found her. She jumped and turned around when his hand gently landed on her shoulder. "Whoa, hey, it's just me." He said holding his hands up in surrender. She just turned her back not wanting him to see her red, puffy face. "Are you…okay?" he asked.

She swiped her fingers across her eyes then down her face and deposited the saltwater onto her jeans before turning to look at him. "Honestly?" she asked, voice strong despite her shaky appearance, and when Dean didn't answer she kept talking. "No, I'm not okay. I haven't been okay in a very long time. And after all this I doubt that I ever will be okay again."

"Everything's gonna be fine." He said trying to calm her. He would be lying if he said he didn't see a little bit of himself in her self-loathing behavior.

"No, Dean, it won't. I literally released the apocalypse. I knew what I was doing when I did it and I didn't care." She threw her hands up in the air. "_I_ didn't care because _I_ was going to get my family back. _I_ wanted that bad enough that I trusted a demon, and let hundreds more out not caring who _I_ hurt in the process. All I cared about was myself and my family and guess what, I still don't have a family." By the time she was done ranting more tears had started to spill over.

Just like the last time he had seen her cry, he couldn't help but wrap one of his arms around her shoulders and pull her into him. His other arms snaked around her waist and just like the last time he'd hugged her she was shocked. "You have a family." He said into her hair as she wrapped her arms around his waist, finally hugging him back before they let each other go. "Sam, Bobby…me, we're your family now. If you want us to be."

"You've all known me for like what, a week?" she said shaking her head as she wiped her tears away with the palms of her hands. "You don't even know me."

"Doesn't matter, spend enough time on the road with someone and you'll get to know them."

"Thanks Dean." She said with a small smile as she reached up and placed her hand on his neck. With her hand resting there, their eyes found each other. The moonlight made his green iris's shine, making her smile.

Dean's eyes flicked down to her glossed lips when she smiled, but they didn't stay there long before they trailed their way back up to her eyes. The moonlight that highlighted her cheekbones also brought out the flecks of brown within the depths of her green eyes. His arm wrapped around her waist to gently pull her into him.

She moved willingly into him, her forearms resting on his chest while her hands cupped the sides of his neck. Both of their hearts pounded hard enough for the other to hear in the silent nighttime surroundings. Dean's hand moved lightly up her back as he leaned his head down closer to hers. The gentle touch made her heart skip a beat before her right hand moved to cup his cheek. His lips were about to meet hers when she cleared her throat and turned her head to the side. She gave him a slight push and suddenly they seemed miles apart.

It wasn't that she didn't want to kiss him. She actually wanted to kiss him really badly, but the timing just wasn't right. She didn't want to kiss him until she knew for sure that it would lead to something more. She didn't want to be just another notch on his figurative bead post.

He cleared his throat and scratched the back of his neck. "So you're okay?" he asked with an awkward glance up at her.

"Yeah. Yeah I am. Uh, we should probably get back in there." She said as she hugged herself and pointed to the dimly lit house.

"Are you sure this is the right place?" Bobby asked Dean who sat in the front seat of Bobby's car while Maria sat in the back.

"No, but I spent all day canvassing this stupid town with this guys stupid mug and supposedly he drinks at this stupid bar." Dean was answering when out of nowhere something slammed into the side of the car making everyone jump.

Sam laughed as he opened the door and pushed his brothers seat forward to get into the back with Maria, who glared at him as she moved to sit behind Bobby, who was in the drivers seat. "So John Doe's name is Walter Rosen. He's from oak parks he went missing a week ago." Sam said as he looked to the side and noticed Maria glaring at him. "What?"

"Nothing." She said physically shaking off the need to punch him for giving her a mini heart attack. "So he went missing the night the gate opened. Which… means that this guy is probably possessed with one of the demons I let out." She observed as she looked back and forth between Sam and Dean for answers.

"So he just walks up to someone, touches them and they go stark raving psycho or something?" Sam asked looking between Bobby and Dean like she hadn't even spoken.

"Those demons that got out of that gate, they're gonna be able to do all kinds of things we haven't seen." Bobby answered

"You mean demons _I_ let out." Maria said making Dean and Bobby look at her before Sam pointed out the demon guy getting out of his car. Dean made a remark about it being show time. "Shh, I need to concentrate." She said making them all stare at her.

She looked out the window, her nose pressed to the cold glass as she stared at the guy who was tucking his keys into his pocket. The harder she focused the more her head started to pound. _Humans are so weak. Just a little touch of envy and they'll suddenly kill for what the other has. It's pathetic yet amusingly fascinating. Their souls are just…_ before she could hear the rest of the sentence she was pushed out of his head by her own pain.

"Mia, hey, you're bleeding." Dean said leaning across the old seat to press a fast food napkin to her upper lip. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, just a headache." She took the napkin and brushed his hand to the side. "He's definitely a demon. His exact thoughts were, Just a little touch of envy and they'll suddenly kill for what the other has."

Bobby looked like he was thinking before Sam spoke up. "Hey guys, I think someone beat us to the punch." He gave a nod in the direction they all should look. When they did their eyes landed on Tamera and Isaac as they got out of their car.

"This isn't going to be good. He's more powerful than your everyday demon." Maria said as she watched them disappear through the double doors.

"How do you know?" Sam asked, brows creased in confusion.

"I don't know, it was just a feeling I got while I was in his head. Guy's we have to get them out of there." She said, her stomach feeling like a boiling pit of bad feelings. Something terrible was about to happen, she just knew it.

"I left my husband bloody on the floor!" Tamera yelled at Sam as Maria and Dean just stood by. Maria couldn't get the picture of Isaac drinking drain-o out of her head. She didn't like the guy, but she never wished for him to die.

"Okay, I understand that, but we can't go back." Sam argued and Maria stepped forward to back him up, but she was cut off.

"Fine, then you stay, but I'm heading back to that bar." Tamera argued again and Dean stepped up saying that he would go with her.

"It's suicide, Dean." Sam shouted.

"So what? I'm dead already." Dean said before he turned around to give Sam a pointed look, but he didn't have the chance to before Maria stepped up to stand chest to chest with him. Her eyes borrowed into his that stared back blankly.

"You are the stupidest frigging man I have ever met." she said before she gave him a hard glair, so hard in fact that if it were possible his head would have burst into flames. Letting him go with a slight shove she turned to Tamera who had been startled by Maria's outburst. "And you," she said pointing her finger at her "I am sorry that your husband is dead, I truly am but I am _not_ going to stand by and let the two of you get yourselves killed over someone who is not coming back." A brief flash of hurt appeared on Tamera's face before is was replace with anger. "We just crashed into a demon bar, I don't think they are going to be worried about what to do with his body. So you can get him after we snuff out those damn demons."

"She's right, Dean. You can't kill them. They're not just gonna stand in line to get exorcized." Tamera screamed at Sam and Maria again. "We don't even know how many of them there are!"

"Yeah we do." Bobby said as he walked into the room with a book in his hands. "There's seven of them." He looked at them all before turning to Maria. "You were onto something with that envy thing."

"The seven deadly sins." Maria finished for him, mortified that she hadn't realized it before.

Dean scoffed with a goofy look on his face. "What's in the box?" he drawled in a sing songy voice making them all look at him dumfounded. "Brad pitt? Seven? No?"

Bobby snapped the book closed and slammed it into Deans stomach.

"Dean?" Maria said flatly getting Dean's attention. She looked up at him blank smirk on her face "You're and idiot."

Dean just rolled his eyes and looked down at the book. "What's this?" at his question Bobby started informing them all on Benfield's classification of demons.

The next thing Maria knew Bobby was in Tamera's face yelling at her. If Maria was being honest she would easily admit that in that moment Bobby scared her more than any demon ever had. After he had finally gotten through to Tamera they all interrogated Envy. "Which one of you can cast the first stone huh?" Envy asked from where he sat, tied to a chair in the middle of a devils trap. "What about you, Dean? You're practically a walking billboard of gluttony and lust." Envy then turned to the woman standing directly in front of him. "And Tamera, all that wrath." His eyes then turned to Maria. "And you're the worst of them all. Lust, wrath, gluttony _and_ envy. Tsk tsk tsk, you really should say your hail Mary's more often."

It was at that point that Maria walked out of the room and left the exorcism to the other hunters. They came and found her in the living room when Tamera started the exorcism. "You guys, take Tamera and head for the hills. I'll stay, slow them down, buy a little time." Dean said making Maria glare at him. He saw her, and gave her a blank, but hard look in return.

"You're insane, Dean." Sam spoke up. "Just forget about it okay?" after that they all started arguing and the sound of the demon being cast out of the guy broke it up.

After salting the windows Maria sat on an old red floral couch loading her two guns with salt shells. Just as she was loading the last bullet the radio in the room across from her that Sam and Dean were in started cutting in and out. _Well, looks like it's show time._ She thought to herself as she stood and tucked her gun into the holster on her belt that was tied to her thigh. She had walked to stand in the doorway of the room with the radio when she hard Isaac scream Tamera's name. She glanced back and forth between Sam and Dean before rushing to find Tamera and Bobby standing at the front door. "It's not him. Just cover your ears. Shut it all out." Maria laid her hand on the woman's shoulder trying to comfort her.

But Tamera just brushed her off and glared back at her. "Forgive me if I don't take your advice." Her words were cold as ice, making Maria take a step back with raised brows. "_You_ said they wouldn't worry about him."

Isaac screamed Tamera's name, his voice laced with pain and betrayal. "We swore at that lake in Michigan, remember?" he was standing just on the other side of the door now and Tamera had started to cry. "We swore we would never leave each other."

"How did he know that?" Tamera asked, her voice trembling before Bobby calmed her. Her tear streaked face hardened as she looked at Maria.

Isaac continued to taunt her from the other side of the door. "You're just goanna let me die?" his voice suddenly turned mean and harsh. " I guess that's what you do dear. Like that night those things came to our house. Came, for our daughter." Tamera's tears continued to fall and her body shook as she cried harder. "You just let her die too."

At his last words Tamera screamed and opened the door to tackle Isaac. Maria tried to grab her and keep her from going outside, but she hadn't been fast enough. Before she knew it Demons started flowing into the house. Dean and Sam headed upstairs with Maria on their tail. Dean ran down one hallway while Maria and Sam ran another. Maria went into one room at the end of the hallway. Sam took the one right across from it. Not long after she heard the sound of the door to Sam's room being kicked in pieces of wood from her closed door flew at her face. She dodged them before throwing holy water at a female demon in a yellow tank top and a man in a plaid button up shirt. The girl got stuck in the trap that was under a rug on the floor, but the guy caught on to the trick and walked around it.

Maria threw punches and holy water, but eventually lost the fight and was captured by the plaid shirt demon. He brought her into the room across the hall and pushed her toward Sam who dodged her, but wrapped his arm around her waist to keep her from going through the window. "You two," a demon in a suit and tie said looking up at the trap on the ceiling, "Do y'all really think something like that is gonna fool someone like me? I mean, _me_?" he asked with a sideways smile at them.

"Hey look, it's pride everybody." Maria said sarcastically making the guy look at her with his stupid smile.

With a flick of his hand the trap on the ceiling cracked. "Yep, the root of all sin. And you two are Maria Morris and Sam Winchester. "That's right I've heard of you, we've _all_ heard of you two. The prodigies. The little king and queen." Maria just glared at the stupid demon in a business suit while Sam looked a tad scared. "Looking at you now, I gotta tell you, don't believe the hype. Y'all think I'm gonna bow to a couple of cut-rate, piss-poor humans like you? I have my pride after all. Now with your yellow-eyed friend dead, I guess I don't really have to do a damn thing now do I?" Pride tilted his head to the side smiling his cocky smirk. "You're fair game now, kids, and it's open season." With another flick of his wrist pride broke the trap in the room across the hall, allowing the girl in the yellow tank top to get out and enter the room with Sam and Maria.

Pride grabbed Sam and threw him on the floor while the other male demon grabbed Maria and did the same. They both struggled trying to break free of the chokeholds they were in, but it wasn't working and Maria couldn't reach any of her weapons. Suddenly the woman demon who was watching them be tortured heard a noise behind her and when she turned her throat was slashed. The deep cut across her neck burned with an orange light before the she fell to the floor. The man who was choking Maria dropped her and turned only to meet the same fate as the demon before him.

Maria punched Pride making him drop Sam turn his head to the mysterious blond headed woman who had slain the other demons. He took a swing at the mysterious woman, but Maria grabbed him from behind and pulled his head back so that the blond could jam the knife through his chin and the roof of his mouth. Maria dropped him and took a step back to stand next to Sam. They were both breathing hard from the fight and the fact that they had been choked. "Who the hell are you?" they both asked the woman.

"I'm the girl that just saved your asses."

"Well she just saved your's too." Sam said breathing heavily.

The woman just smiled at them. "See you around Sam, Maria." She said looking them each in the eyes with a raised eyebrow before she turned and left.

"Where the hell are you goin'?" Maria called after her, but she kept on walking. They both ran after her, but when they got into the hall, she was gone. Realizing that they weren't going to find her, Maria turned to Sam and put her hand on his arm, getting his attention before she dropped it and cleared her throat awkwardly. "You okay?" she asked eyeing the red mark around his neck from Pride's arm.

"Yeah, I'm fine. You?" he asked and she only nodded her head. "Lets go find Dean." They found him and Bobby downstairs with two passed out people laying on the floor next to their feet.

"Hey, where's Tamera?" Maria asked and Bobby pointed to the still open door. She glanced out to see Tamera leaning over Isaac's body. Maria's face squished up in a painful expression thinking about how Tamera must be feeling right now. Bobby noticed, patted her on the shoulder and gave her a sympathetic face before walking past her to the other room where the pretty blond woman, that Lust had been possessing, was waking up. Sam joined him leaving Maria and Dean in the room.

"What happened to you?" Dean asked noticing the fading red mark around her neck.

"Sam got choked by Pride and I don't know which one choked me, but some random woman came in and saved our buts." She said sarcastically nonchalant. "You wouldn't have happened to see her did you?" she asked making Dean shake his head and look at her funny. "So how'd it go with you?" she asked.

"Tricked Lust into a devils trap and exorcised her." He lied for some reason, not wanting to tell Maria that he made out with lust and shoved her face into a tub of holy water.

"Oh, okay. Um, I'm gonna go find some clean sheets. I'm sure Tamera's gonna wanna give Isaac a funeral." She said before she ran off to hopefully find a linen closet.

After helping a reluctant Tamera with wrapping up Isaac, she started helping Bobby exorcise demons. They didn't finish until a little after sunrise. Once done she and Bobby joined Sam and Dean where they had dug a hole to burn the dead people in. "Well, you two look like crap." Dean observed making Maria roll her eyes at him while Bobby commented back. In the end only the people that Lust and Gluttony were possessing made it. "It's more than you can say for these poor bastards." Dean said with a nod at the mass grave. Maria and Sam had told Bobby about the knife that the mysterious woman had used to take down the demons. Sam started questioning him about it. "I'm just gonna ask again. Who was that masked chick?" Dean asked Sam. "Actually the more troubling question would be how come a couple of girls can fight better than you?" he asked smiling at Sam and Maria, who just smirked and looked up at Sam, waiting for his answer.

"Three demons, Dean. At once."

"Hey, whatever it takes to get you through the night, pal." Dean said as he slapped Sam on the arm encouragingly making Maria burst out laughing. But she bit her lips closed when Sam glared down at her almost playfully.

"Sorry." She said feeling more laughter bubbling up side her.

Sam just rolled his eyes and looked back at his brother. "If you want a troubling question I got one for you. If we let out the seven deadly sins, what else did we let out?"

Dean looked at the ground and tried to ignore how Sam said _we_ instead of _she_. "You're right, that is troubling." She didn't understand why they were making what she had done sound like they were all responsible, but she wasn't going to question it. If they were willing to help her then she wasn't going to question it. Dean just lit a matchbook and threw it into the hole with the bodies that burst into flames.

They all just stood by and watched them burn to ashes before they covered it up and started to head their separate ways. Maria saw Tamera headed to her car and ran over to meet mer. "Hey, Tamera," she said getting the woman's attention, "Look, I'm sorry for everything and if we run into each other again I hope you don't hate me as much then as you do now." She said apologetically hopeful. Tamera just gave her a blank faced nod before she got into her car and drove off. When Maria turned around she saw Bobby heading for his old car. "Hey, Bobby," she called and he turned to look at her, "take care of my car will ya?" she asked and she smiled as he gave her a nod and told her he would see her later. "Yeah, later." She said with a smile back before she turned to the two men.

"So where to?" Dean asked turning to the two of them as he clapped his hands and rubbed them together. Sam answered saying that he wanted to go to Louisiana. "Little early for Marti Gras, isn't it?" he asked giving his brother a sideways look. Sam glanced at her before he brought up a hoodoo priestess that could help Dean with his demon deal. "Nah." After Dean said that Sam gave her a look that said go away. So she excused herself and went to sit in the back of the impala. A minute later she heard Sam raise his voice, wanting to know why Dean didn't want help with his deal. Maria knew why, and she knew that Dean didn't want to talk about the fact that if he tried to weasel his way out of the deal that Sam would die.

"Very true." She heard Dean say to Sam before he opened the door and cranked the car. "So I'll ask again. Where are we headed?"

Sam didn't answer, so Maria did. "Why don't you just pick a direction, drive, and we'll see where we end up?" she asked and Dean gave her a single nod then started driving.


	7. Chapter 7

**Sleeping With The Ally**

**Disclaimer:** See chapter one.

**A/N:** I'm not going to do this for every chapter, but I thought this song was fitting for this one.

_I've got a girl crush. Hate to admit it but,_

_I got a heart rush, it ain't slowin' down._

_I got it real bad, want everything she has._

_That smile and that midnight laugh, she's givin' you now._

_I wanna taste her lips, yeah 'cause they taste like you._

_I wanna down myself in a bottle of her perfume._

_I want her long blond hair, I want her magic touch._

_Yeah, 'cause maybe then, you'd want me just as much._

_I got a girl crush. I got a girl crush._

_-"Girl Crush" Little Big Town._

**Chapter 7:**** The Kids Are Alright**

Maria sat in the back seat of the Impala. Ear buds were in her ears playing old country music to cover up the old rock song that Dean was blaring for the hundredth time. She sang along, her head leaning back on the headrest with her eyes closed. Dean and Sam couldn't even hear her over his music.

However, when Dean pulled into the parking lot of a café in a small town and killed the car, the music stopped with it. Maria didn't notice and kept singing along. "What's your mama's name child? What's your mama's name? Does she ever talk about a place called New Orleans? Has she ever mentioned a man named Buford Wilson? What's your mama's name child?" she lifted up her head and opened her eyes "What's your ma…ma's…" she stopped singing when she found both Sam and Dean staring at her over the seat. Sam was looking at her like she was crazy, while Dean had a slight smirk on his face. She felt an intense heat rise to her cheeks as she looked around searching for something else to talk about. "Ooo look, a café, I'm starving." She said quickly putting her mp3 player on the seat before she shoved her door open and jumped out to head inside.

Sam and Dean just shook their heads before getting out to join her at the restaurant. Once inside they ordered food to go then headed to the motel a few blocks over. After thirty minutes of arguing, she finally convinced Dean that her shoulders had healed enough for her to be able to defend herself if the occasion ever came. Once they got their room keys, she got her things out of the trunk of the Impala and headed to her room, which was two doors over from Sam and Deans. After taking a quick shower and putting on some yoga pants and a loose, stained Merle Haggard t-shirt, she headed two doors over and knocked. It took a minute for Sam to come to the door and let her in. He gave her a small smile as they sat down at the table and started eating the lukewarm food out of Styrofoam containers. A few minutes later Dean appeared from the bathroom wearing only jeans and a towel around his head. When he saw Maria sitting at that table with a smile on her face as she looked at the towel that was curled atop his head, he cleared his throat and pulled it off of to quickly rub it over his hair then deposit it onto the floor.

He didn't say a word as he sat down at the table and opened his container to take a bite out of his burger. "So uh," Sam said breaking the awkwardness between the two to set down a stack of newspapers, "I picked these up from the lobby. We should get to reading, see if we can find a case to keep us busy."

She and Dean both sighed as they chose a paper out of the stack and started reading while they ate. She liked reading books, but newspapers were a whole other thing. After they had all finished eating they read for a little longer, not finding anything of interest in the papers. After reading the same article for the fifth time, she sighed and shoved the paper away. "If I read anymore I'm gonna go cross eyed." Dean just laughed and closed his paper as well. "I'm callin' it a night. See you gents tomorrow." When she pushed her chair back and stood up Dean stood up too. She gave him a questioning look.

"I'll walk you." He answered with a shrug of his shoulders.

"Dean, I'm perfectly capable of walking two doors over on my own." She said not understanding him.

"Will you let me be a gentleman for two seconds please?" he asked with his hands out to the side and his eyebrows raised.

"Yeah, sure, I guess." She said with a confused shake of her head as she headed to the door, but he beat her there and opened it up. It was comfortably quiet as they walked down the sidewalk to her room. When they got to her door she stopped and turned to give Dean a small smile. "So, what's up?" she asked and he just shrugged. "Dean, you clearly wanted to get me alone. There has to be a reason, so spill it."

He sighed again, making her wonder what this was all about. "I was just wondering if the proposal you made still stood." he asked as he shoved his hands into the pockets of his jacket.

Her brows creased as she cocked her head to the side. "I don't know what you're talking about. What _proposal_?" she asked with a small shake of her head.

Dean shifted uncomfortably on his feet. "The night we met each other." He dropped a clue.

She took a deep breath finally understanding what he was talking about. "Oh, uh, Dean…" she stumbled over her words not knowing what to say. "I've changed…a lot, since then. I…"

Dean nodded his head and looked down at his feet. "I get it, not need to explain. See you tomorrow." He turned and started walking off.

Maria chased after "Dean, wait…" she grabbed the sleeve of his jacket and pulled him to a stop. "I like you, a lot. I do, but..." He just looked at her, with narrowed eyes and a small smirk of disappointment on his lips. "But don't you think it would make things, I don't know…weird, between us?" she asked.

"Yeah, your probably right. Goodnight, Maria." He turned and left her standing there, feeling confused and hurt. There was something about the way he called her Maria instead of Mia that didn't set right with her.

* * *

The next morning she got up early and found the nearest mall. She knew sooner or later that she would have to dress professionally. Rather it be as an FBI agent or just an insurance adjuster the outfit would be the same. So she bought a navy blue pencil skirt, white blouse and a matching navy blue blazer along with a pair of pumps. She hated having to wear tight skirts and high heels, but something about the style made her feel professional, which made her act the part even better.

When she got back to the motel she dropped the bags off at her room then headed to Sam and Dean's. After knocking on the door several times with no answer, she pulled the keycard that Sam and given her in case of emergencies out of her purse and opened the door. A note was left on the desk for her. _Maria, went to the café for breakfast, -Sam._

When she got to the café she saw Sam and Dean sitting at a table next to a window. "I'm gonna be smiling after 24 hours with Gumby girl. Gumby girl…Does that make me Pokey?" she heard Dean say as she walked in.

"Um, who's Gumby girl?" she asked and Dean cleared his throat as he turned and looked at her.

"We found a case." Sam cut in and handed her the paper as she sat down next to him.

"So a man falls on his power saw and you guys think this is a case?" she asked with a confused face as her eyes moved from Dean, who just cleared his throat and looked down at his glass of water, and Sam who had a smirk on his face. "Is something goin' on here that I don't know about?" she asked but didn't get an answer.

"It's all we've got." Dean spoke up with a look of finality on his face.

"Okay then." She said with a small roll of her eyes. Something was up with those two, she just didn't know what. From the way Dean was acting, she didn't want to know.

* * *

Dean slowed to a stop in front of a motel in Cicero, Indiana. "Don't wait up for me." Dean called as she and Sam got out of the car. He revved the engine, barely giving them time to get their things out of the car before he sped off, leaving them in a cloud of dust.

Maria coughed and waved her hand in front of her face as she turned to Sam. "Okay, I don't think I want to know, but I have to ask. What's gotten into him? And who's _Gumby Girl_?" she asked Sam with a twisted face as they walked to the main office of the Cicero Pines Motel.

"Lisa Braeden." He said as he pulled the door open and walked in to the office.

"Okay am I supposed to know who that is?" she asked confused as she pulled a credit card out of her wallet. "I got it this time." She slid the card to the man behind the counter who smiled at her and Sam. "Two rooms please. One with a king, one with two queens." She said to the man who nodded and started typing on the computer.

"She's a yoga teacher that Dean spent a weekend with eight years ago." He explained making her scratch her head in thought.

"I'm sorry," the man at the desk said getting their attention "most of our rooms are under renovation. We only have one room with two queens left. We can have a cot brought it if you'd like."

"Okay then we'll go somewhere else." Maria said not wanting to share a room with them.

"We're the only motel for miles." The man warned her.

She sighed and looked at Sam for help, but he said nothing. "Okay, we'll take the one room then." She said with a disappointed look as the man smiled at her, swiped her card then handed it back to her along with some papers to sign.

* * *

Maria was dressed in the clothes she bought the previous day as she knocked on the door of a cookie cutter looking house with a clipboard in her hand. She played nervously with her wavy hair that was sleeked back into a high ponytail. It had been over a year since she had interviewed anyone. So she hoped she didn't make any mistakes or speak out of place like she had a tendency to do. She put on a fake, but nice smile when a woman answered the door. "Hi, Melody Brooks?" she asked and the woman confirmed her name. "Nice to meet you." Maria said holding out her hand for the woman to shake and she did. "My names Brianna Chapman, I'm an agent from your husband's insurance company. I was just wondering if I could ask you a few questions, take a look around, make sure everything matches our records."

Melody looked confused, but agreed and waved Maria into the house. "Sure, uh what do you need to see?" she asked.

"Just the area where the accident happened." She said nonchalantly, gripping her clipboard as if it were a notebook as she glanced down at it. "Our records say you have a child with your husband?" she asked and Melody confirmed. "How old is she?"

"Oh, _he_ is eight and his names Kevin." She said pointing into the kitchen where the boy was sitting at the bar eating a half burnt grilled cheese. Maria made a note on the paper that was clipped to the board. "Uh, the hot tub is this way." Melody said motioning to the back patio before she led Maria out.

Maria looked around at the place taking in the nice potted plants, in-ground swimming pool and the hot tub that sat at the corner of the back yard, close to the wooden privacy fence. She walked over examining the area around the hot tub that the woman's husband drown in. Upon closer inspection she noticed what looked like blood, smeared onto the side of the house and one of the window seals. "Okay, I think I've seen all I need to see." Maria said as she turned around with a smile at Melody.

"Okay then." When she opened the patio doors to lead Maria out, Kevin appeared out of nowhere.

"Mommy, I don't like this lady." His voice was small, and overly sweet.

"Kevin, that's not very nice." His mother scalded, but he just kept staring at Maria with darkened eyes.

"Please, mommy, make her leave."

"She was just on her way out sweetie." She said before giving Maria an apologetic smile. When she turned to lead Maria out, she brushed her long blond hair to the side. Maria's eyes caught what looked like a perfect circular bruise on the back of her neck, tiny dots surrounded it.

"Thank you and the company will be in touch with you soon." Maria said her last words with a smile and headed to the sidewalk. She waited for the woman to close the door before she walked down the side walk wishing she had her car so that she wouldn't have to walk everywhere.

While walking back to the motel she passed the towns playground and saw Dean sitting on a bench next to a little boy, who was dressed very similar to Dean, while a woman looked down at him with a very pissed off face. Maria's feet took on a mind of their own and started taking her toward Dean and the woman she assumed was Gumby Girl. The woman pulled Dean up off the bench and said something to him, still looking pissed, before she grabbed the kids hand and started walking off. She had dragged the boy a few steps away before he let go of his moms hand and ran to give Dean a hug around his waist.

Maria stopped walking when she sat this. She couldn't help but notice how closely the kid resembled Dean, and didn't know what to make of what she just saw. "What was _that_ about?" Maria asked as she walked up behind Dean.

He jumped and spun around to see her standing there watching Lisa's back as she walked away. "Don't do that." Dean said in a huff, trying to hide the fact that she had startled him. "How long have you been there?" he asked with squinted suspicious eyes.

"Long enough to know that you did _something_ to piss her off." She crossed her arms over her chest waiting for him to say something, but he didn't. "I'm assuming that she was Gumby Girl or Lisa if you prefer." She didn't know why she was prying, it really wasn't like her, but her mouth, just like her feet had taken on a mind of it's own. He gave her a look that asked how she knew that. "Sam told me."

"Yeah." He said turning to stand beside her as he watched the still retreating form of Lisa.

"And the kid is…?" she asked looked at him across her shoulder.

"Her son, Ben." He answered still watching them.

She stayed quiet for a second, thinking about the kid. How he looked like Dean and the fact that he looked like he was around eight. "How old is he?" she asked, something in her chest felt like it was twisting, painfully. He confirmed Ben's age and the pain intensified. "He… looks a little like…you." She said almost sounding as disappointed as she felt, as she turned from him to start walking in the direction of the Impala.

"I know what you're thinking, I was thinking the same thing. He's not mine, I asked." He said as he caught up with her and, to her surprise, opened the passenger door for her.

She waited for him to get behind the wheel then flipped the subject to avoid the awkwardness she was feeling. "So, I talked to the wife of the man who drown in the hot tub." He gave her a look that asked what she had found out. "There was blood on the privacy fence, an odd bruise on the back of the wife's neck and her kid was acting…weird." She said as she looked out the window of the car and noticed how the children on the playground where just standing there. Not playing, not running, not talking, just standing there. "Kind of like that." She pointed to what she was talking about.

When Dean leaned forward to look at the kids she was talking about, the four kids all turned to look at the car at the same time.

* * *

"There's something wrong with the kids in this town." Dean said as he and Maria walked into their room.

"Tell me about it." Sam said glancing at them from his computer. "So, what do you guys know about changelings?" he asked as he flipped through some papers.

"Monster baby's that feed off their parents?" Maria asked as she shucked off her coat and sat it on the desk.

"Not necessarily babies." Sam corrected.

"The kids." Dean said a realization struck both him and Maria. "Creepy, stare-at-you-like-you're-lunch kids."

"Yep." Sam said as he lifted up a piece of paper with houses circled on it. "There's one at every victims house."

"Huh." Maria said in thought as she leaned over him to look at the paper and the computer screen. "So the changelings are taking the place of the kids and killing anyone that gets between it and the mother?" she asked looking between Sam and Dean. Sam confirmed her observation.

"Fire's the only way to waist them?" Dean asked as he sat down at the desk and started rigging up a torch. Sam gave him a positive answer. "Great. Well, we'll just bust in, drag the kids out torch, 'em on the front lawn. That'll play great with the neighbors." Dean said as he sat the torch down on the desk. "What about the real kids?"

"If I remember correctly, don't they keep the kids alive, underground somewhere?" she asked Sam who seemed to be the researcher of the operation.

"Yep, which if the lore is true, means that the real kids might be out there somewhere." Sam said looking between his brother and Maria.

"Well, let's start lookin' then." Dean said as he handed his brother something and Maria grabbed her gun out of her coat. "So any kid in the neighborhood is vulnerable?" Dean asked and Sam gave him a positive answer. Dean glanced at Maria "We gotta make a stop. I gotta check on someone." Dean said as he grabbed his coat and headed for the door.

"Dean, if the real kids are out there somew-" Sam started but Maria put her hand on his shoulder to get his attention.

"Sam, it's…important." Maria said giving him a look that asked him to drop it.

A few minutes later they pulled up a few blocks away from Lisa's house and Dean took off running. It wasn't long before he came running back looking more panicked than before. "They took Ben, he's changed." he said as he ran around the car and got into the drivers seat.

"You're kidding me" ."Are you sure?" Maria and Sam spoke at the same time.

"Yeah I'm sure, I checked his window seal." Dean said as he cranked the car. Sam asked if there was blood. "I don't think it is blood, and I think I know where the kids are." With that he drove off and headed to one of the houses down the street that wasn't finished yet. When they pulled to a stop in front of the house and got out the first thing her eyes landed on was a pile of red dirt. That's what had been on the windows, not blood. "You two take the front, I'll go around." Dean said as he tossed Maria a bag then grabbed one himself and took off.

She and Sam made their way quietly through the dark house, flashlights in hand. Maria had squeezed herself between a door way and a piece of wood that was leaned up against it to take a look in one of the unfinished rooms. "What do you think you're doing?" she hard a woman ask from the hallway Sam was still in. From inside the room Maria could see the woman's reflection in a piece of glass. It wasn't a pretty sight, but her ugly mouth matched the bruise's that were on the children's mothers necks. She was sure the woman hadn't seen her, so she slipped the bag quietly off her shoulder and pulled out the torch. "This is private property, I'm calling the police." She heard the woman say. "You heard me, get out!"

"I'm going, just let me get my bag out of here." When Sam leaned around the piece of wood, Maria passed him the torch and lighter. "I don't mean to be any trouble." he said as he quickly turned and lit the torch. But when Maria walked out of the room the woman was already gone.

"Did you get her?" she asked and Sam just shook his head no. "Crap." She sighed and let her shoulders slump. "Okay, lets keep looking then. The kids have to be around here somewhere." When they heard glass breaking down stairs they both took off running to the basement.

"Dean? Dean there's a mother." Sam yelled as they made there way to the cages that lined the unfinished wall.

"We gotta get these kids out of here, now." Maria said as she noticed Ben helping the little girls out of the window. She stood by Ben and assured the kids that everything was going to be okay while Sam broke the lock on the cage that the real real-estate woman was being held in.

Suddenly one of the kids screamed and they all turned to see the mother changeling standing blank faced, poised to attack. Maria, who was closest to her took a swing, but the mother elbowed her in the chest sending her across the room to crash into a wall. Dean tried to fight her, but he too got sent flying across the room breaking one of the beams in the process. Sam, who held the torch in his hand tried once again to light her on fire, but before he could get a flame out of the lighter, she kicked it out of his hand.

Maria saw where it landed and started making her way to it while the mother focused her attention on beating up Dean. When she got close, she grabbed the lighter and handed it to Sam. "Ben get them out of here!" Dean yelled to the kid who was still standing near the window.

Maria, seeing that Dean had gotten control of the fight with the mother, went to help Ben with the kids. She lifted Ben out of the window just as she heard the torch strike up and the woman screamed. "It's okay Ben." She assured him when he turned to look at her through the broken window. "Just go, take the other's to the front yard. We'll be there in a minute." Ben nodded then smiled and winked at her before he ran off. She smiled and shook her head. There's no way that kid's not Deans.

By the time they dropped all the other kids off at their houses and answered the parents questions to the best of their abilities, the sun had fully risen. "Ben? Ben!" Lisa called as they pulled up in front of her house and all got out of the car. Ben ran to his mother and hugged her neck and Dean made his way over to them. "What the hell just happened?" she asked Dean before glancing over at Maria and Sam.

"I'll explain everything if you want me to, but trust me, you probably don't. The important thing is that Ben's safe." Dean answered while ruffling Ben's hair.

"You have a very brave son, Lisa." Maria chipped in with a small smile. Ben smiled up at his mom before leaning around Dean to give Maria another wink. Maria just smiled at the little boys flirting while his mother shook her head and Dean looked a little impressed.

"Thank you." The crying Lisa said, but she wasn't talking to Maria, "Thank you." She said again as she threw her arms around Dean. Maria just looked at the ground while Sam told the two that he would give them some time. She didn't meet Dean's eyes when he turned to look at her and Sam.

Instead she tucked herself into the passenger seat and stared at her hands until she could no longer see Dean and Lisa in her peripherals. While staring at her hands, she focused on Lisa's thoughts. "_I can't believe I just lied to him. But…it's for the best, he doesn't need to know that Ben's really his. Wait, why does he look like that? He almost looks disappointed._" she was pulled out of Lisa's head as a pain shot through her own. She hissed and pressed her palm to her temple.

"Whoa, hey, are you okay?" Sam asked sounding a little concerned before he noticed the blood sliding down her upper lip. "You're bleeding, again."

Maria, as if in a daze, pressed her fingertips to her lip. Sticky red liquid coated her them when she pulled them back to look at them. "Oh, hey, I am." She grabbed a napkin out of the floorboard and pressed it to her lip.

Sam could tell that she was fighting to keep her eyes open. "You were reading his mind weren't you?" he asked and she made herself meet his eyes as she shook her head. "Then Lisa's?" he asked and she nodded. "You really need to stop that, you're gonna give yourself a tumor or something." he said turning his attention away from her.

"No, I'm fine, I need to keep in practice." She drawled tiredly before she got out of the front seat and slid into the back. "I'm gonna get some shut eye." She laid down, but she didn't go to sleep. Instead she tuned back in to Lisa radio. Instead of hearing more about how Dean was really Ben's father, she heard Lisa thinking about how good Dean's lips felt on hers and how he was still as good as he was all those years ago. She quickly tuned out and closed her eyes. Without fully understanding why, a tear slid down her cheek. She didn't bother wiping it away and instead let sleep over take her.

* * *

When she woke up she realized that she was no longer in the car, but on one of the double beds in the hotel room. Dean was laying on the other asleep and Sam sat at the desk, looking at his computer. He glanced back at her when he heard her yawn and stretch. "Morning." He greeted casually still looking at his computer.

She rubbed her face and looked around, confused as to how she had gotten there. "Morning." She greeted back before yawning again. "Question." She said making Sam turn and face her. "How did I get in here? I don't remember waking up." Sam pointed to Dean. "Dean?" she asked and at the mention of his name he yawned and sat up.

"What time is it?" he asked with a yawn as he rubbed his face.

She glanced at the clock on the clock on the nightstand. "8:30 am." She answered quickly before catching his eyes. "You brought me in here?" she asked and he simply nodded. "You _carried_ me in here?" she asked again not believing him.

"Yeah." He answered with raised eyebrows, wondering why she was making a big deal about it.

"Why?" she asked not letting it go and not knowing if she should feel grateful or violated.

"You were passed out, wouldn't wake up, and I didn't want you to sleep in that uncomfortable back seat." He said standing and turning his back on her. "It's not a big deal." He said with a shrug.

"Well, uh, thanks." She said as she touched his side and moved around him in the limited space between the two beds. She gave him a small smile before she disappeared into the bathroom.

Once they had all taken showers and gotten something to eat. They once again, got back on the road.


	8. Chapter 8

**Sleeping With The Ally**

**Disclaimer:** See chapter one.

**Chapter 8:**** Bad Day At Black Rock.**

"Because demon that's why." Dean stated, aggravated with Sam and he drove down a dark road in the middle of nowhere. "Because the second you find out this Ruby chick is a demon you go for the holy water. You don't chat."

"No one was chatting, Dean." Sam argued while Maria sat in the back with her arms folded over her eyes while she tried to ignore the brothers incessant arguing.

"Oh yeah, then why didn't you send her ass back to hell?" Dean asked with his brows furrowed at his brother.

"Because-Because she said she might be able to help us out." Sam stumbled for a reason why he didn't kill Ruby.

"How?" Dean asked, but Sam just rolled his eyes and looked away. "No really, Sam, how? How could she possibly help us?" Dean yelled at his brother and if Maria would have voiced her thoughts at the moment she would tell them that they were giving her a headache with their clear lack of communication skills.

"She told me she could help you okay?" this statement from Sam got Maria's attention. She sat up straighter in the seat. She and Dean where both speechless. "Help you out of the crossroads deal."

"What's wrong with you huh? She's lying. You gotta know that don't you?" Sam didn't respond. "She knows what your weakness is, it's me." Dean said before looking back at the road he was driving down.

"Sam," Maria's soft voice from the back seat got both of the brothers attention "I know you want to help your brother, we all do, but you need to think clearly here." Sam huffed out a breath and looked straight forward at the dark road ahead. "Ruby is a demon, she is going to do and say whatever she needs to in order to get you to react in her favor. I don't know what her alternative motive is, but she does. They all have one and they all play on your weaknesses. In your case, your brother."

Sam turned in his seat to look at her with glaring eyes. "I thought I told you to stay out of our business." She just raised her eye brows cockily at his harsh words.

"Whoa, Sam, back off her." Dean yelled making Maria turn her eyes to Dean who was still looking at her. "You getting buddy buddy with a demon affects all of us." She gave him a nod of thanks before they both looked back at Sam.

"What else did she say?" Dean asked as he looked out of the front glass to the road ahead. "Dude?" Dean was getting impatient while Sam grew more aggravated.

"Nothing." Sam answered flatly and his brother looked at him thinking that he was lying. "Nothing okay?" Sam answered louder making Maria's headache kick up again. "Look I'm not an idiot Dean. I'm not talking about trusting her. I'm talking about using her." Maria and Dean just looked at him like he was stupid. "I mean, we're at war, right?" Sam asked peaking their interest. "We don't know jack about the enemy. We don't know where they are, we don't know what they're doing. I mean, hell, we don't even know what they want. Now, this Ruby girl knows more than we will ever find out on our own." Maria and Dean thought about what he was saying. "Now yes, it's a risk, I know that, but we need to take it."

Dean just looked across his shoulder at Sam with a stupid look on his face. "You're okay right? I mean, you're feeling okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine! Why are you always asking me that?" Sam asked getting agitated.

Maria was about to ask them to stop fighting when someone's cell phone ringing broke up the fighting. Maria checked her pocket and said that it wasn't hers. Sam and Dean did the same. "Check the glove compartment. It's Dad's." Dean said making her and Sam look at him like he was nuts. "I keep it charged up incase any of his old contacts call." Dean explained as Sam opened the compartment and pulled out a cell phone.

They listened to Sam talking on the phone pretending to be an Edgar Cayce. When he got off he asked Dean if he knew that their dad kept a storage unit outside of Buffalo. Dean didn't know and apparently someone broke into it. So now they were on their way to check out the container and see if anything was stolen.

Maria stood quietly by as they road the elevator down to the lower level of the storage space. When they came to John's container she stood to the side as Dean pulled the door open. She took a step inside and shined her flashlight around. "No demons allowed." Dean said as he observed the demon trap that Maria was standing on. She decided to take a closer look. "Watch out!" Dean said as he grabbed her by her hips and yanked her back.

"Dean, what the hell?" she asked as she turned to look at him, but he ignored her and kneeled down.

"Check this out." Dean's fingers lightly touched the trip wire that she had almost walked through. As they traced it, their eyes landed on a double barrel shotgun that was propped up by a skull of some sort.

"Whoever broke in here got tagged. Like someone else almost did." Sam said giving Maria a sarcastic look.

She just rolled her eyes and stepped over the wire. "Screw you Sam." She said as she took in the blood on the floor. "There's two sets of tracks here so.."

"Yeah, a two man job. And it looks like our friend with the buckshot in him kept walkin'." Dean said as they all started to explore.

As they looked around Dean found a dusty trophy sitting on a filing cabinet. "No way. That's my division championship soccer trophy." Sam said excitedly. "I can't believe he kept this."

"Well, that was probably the closest you ever came to being a boy." Dean joked making Sam roll his eyes. "Oh wow." Dean exclaimed as he picked up an old dusty gun. "This is my first sawed-off. I made it myself. Sixth grade." He looked at the gun, his face full of pride. Dust flew off of it when he cocked it.

Maria laughed when he smiled at her, cockily proud that it still worked. "Nice. At least you got to use things like that when you were that age." He smiled at the gun as he sat it back down. "Sixth grade is when my mother decided that I needed to be a _normal little girl_." Maria said sarcastically cheery as she looked at the dusty objects laying on the table that clearly hadn't been touched in years. "She shipped me off to Still Creek Ranch boarding school in Texas while my brother got to stay behind and hunt with her." She confessed as she picked up a dusty piece of paper and read it.

"That sounds like a horrible experience." Dean said as he started looking on the shelves in the room.

"Really? Sounds awesome to me." Sam said from across the room.

"It was okay I guess. I mean, I made my first friends there, had my first boyfriend there, my first kiss." She said with a smile at the memory before the bad memories of the place took over and her smile faded. "But, my boyfriend dumped me for my best friend when he found out that I believed in monsters and my best friend stopped talking to me when my roommate told her that she found a knife under my pillow. And there was this one little girl, Tessa Clarence, biggest brat I've ever seen. She called me a freak, stole the locket my mother gave me and vandalized my hunters journal. I got kicked out after I stole all my stuff back and gave her a black eye and a broken nose." Dean was looking at her impressed while Sam looked at her like she was crazy. "But oh well," she said shrugging off their looks at her, "it was still a good year."

"Wow, I can't imagine why you only lasted a year." Sam popped off and she just scoffed at him. Before she started looking around again.

"Hey guys." Maria said getting the brothers attention. "I think I found what these people took." She pointed to a shelf of curse boxes where one was missing. A perfect square of clean, dust free, space was on the shelf.

Dean ran his finger over the dirty space pushing the dust off of the shelf. "Well, maybe they didn't open it." He said before they decided to go ask for security footage.

Maria sat up straighter in the back seat of the Impala as they drove down an ally way and slowed to a stop. Dean rolled down the window and glanced out at the license plate of the car that resembled the one that was in the security footage. "Connecticut. Last three digits 880." Dean said as he leaned back in and glanced back at Maria who held the prints from the footage.

"First three ctc?" she asked and Dean nodded. "Yep, that's it. God these people are stupid."

"Should've blacked out the plates before they parked in front of the security camera." Dean sang. Maria and Sam just shook their heads as Dean pulled up to park in front of the building.

When they got out they went around to the back of the Impala and started grabbing their things. Maria simply grabbed her pistol and an extra clip. The pistol got tucked securely into the back of her jeans and the extra clip was tucked into her back pocket along with the lock pick that she kept on her person at all times.

Once they came to the peoples room, Sam picked the lock while Maria and Dean readied their weapons. They could hear the men inside talking, but couldn't hear what they were saying until they eased further into the hallway. "No way we're handing it over to that stuck up bitch now. Not after all we've been through. Let's go huh. Let's get out of here. Let's go have some fun." It was after they heard one of the men say those words that Dean gave her a nod and they all the walked out of the hallway with their guns up.

"Freeze! Freeze! Nobody move! Don't move!" Dean yelled as they made their way into the house. Sam yelled out warnings too. Maria on the other hand figured that the two men had the warnings covered and kept her mouth shut as she pointed the gun between the two people. Dean stepped up and pointed his gun at the blond headed man. "Alright, give us the box and please tell me that you didn't-"

"Uh, Dean, I think they did." Maria said as she nodded her head to the open box that was sitting on the table next to her where she stood near the kitchen. Dean freaked and shoved the blond against the wall with his forearm. The guy started asking if they were cops, but he didn't get an answer. "What was in the box?" the blond guy didn't answer, but instead looked at something over Dean's shoulder. "Oh, is that it, huh? It was wasn't it?" Dean asked with a look over his shoulder at the object laying on the table. "What is that thing?" he asked again, but the guy caught him off guard and shoved him making him drop his gun. It went off sending a bulling speeding around the room. It ricocheted off of the radiator, then hit the gun in Sam's hand before hitting the radiator again then flying across the floor to graze Maria's foot causing her to fall backwards before meeting it's final destination of the cupboard in the kitchen.

Sam and the guy with the receding hair line both went for the gun, but Sam got shoved into Dean making him fall on the table breaking it and sending the cursed object flying across the room.

"Sorry." Sam said to his brother before the man with the receding hair line tackled Sam to the floor. When Maria managed to pull herself from the floor she saw Dean going for the gun, so she decided to help Sam. She grabbed the man that was on top of him by his shoulders and pulled him off before punching him in his face.

Dean fell to the floor, having been knocked out by the blond man with the gun in his hand. Maria threw the guy into the small corner as Sam picked up the cursed object. "Dean, I got it." Sam yelled.

"No you don't." the blond said making everyone in the room cease their actions when they saw that the man had a gun pointed at Sam. Maria thought it was all going to be over as she saw the mans finger squeeze the trigger. But instead of firing, the gun just clicked. The man tried several more times to shoot Sam, but he ultimately ended up tripping over something on the floor, knocking himself out when he landed. With him out of the way the three of them turned their attention to the other man. When he saw that they all had guns pointed at him be backed up into a bookshelf. He fell when his back hit the bookshelf and it fell onto his head, knocking him out. Sam caught the gun that flew out of his hand when he fell.

They all just looked at each other, wondering what the hell was going on. "That was a lucky break." Dean said before his eyes landed on the thing in Sam's hand. "Is that a rabbits foot?" he asked with his face screwed up in confusion.

"I think it is." Sam answered as he lifted it up to look at it.

"Huh." Dean and Maria said at the same time.

With the cursed rabbits foot now in hand they decided to head out before someone who may have heard the commotion upstairs called the cops.

They now sat outside a convenience store because Dean, for some reason, insisted on stopping. Sam sat upfront looking through his dad's journal while Maria sat in the back doing some reasearch on her phone. "I'm not finding anything on it in Dad's journal." Sam informed Dean when he climbed into the car and started digging in the paper sack from the store. "Dean, come on." Sam wined making Maria sit up and look over the seat at the two of them.

"What?" Dean asked defensively. "Hey that was my gun he was aiming at your head. My gun don't jam, so that was a lucky break." Dean explained. "Not to mention taking themselves out, also a lucky break." He held a lottery ticket out to Sam. "Here. Scratch one." Sam just looked at him like he was stupid. "Come on, Sam, scratch and win." Dean said with a laugh.

Maria just laughed as Dean handed him a coin to scratch the ticket with. Sam ended up winning twelve hundred dollars. Dean was ecstatic and argued that it didn't seem like a cursed object to him. He made Sam scratch all of the tickets before Sam decided it was time to call Bobby and see if he could tell them anything about the rabbits foot.

Maria stood with Dean as they counted up how much they had won while Sam was on the phone. She saw him pick something up before he turned around with a gold Rolex in his hand. Dean mouthed awesome while she just smiled and shook her head. "Sam," Maria called when she saw the he had hung up the phone, "I think I just fell in love with you." He looked at her like she was stupid as he walked over to join them. "We're up 15 grand in tickets." She smiled at him and he just shook his head. She walked over and threw her arm around his shoulders. "Since you're rich, I totally forgive you for shooting me." He shrugged her arm off but she still kept smiling as she turned to look at Dean. "How about we go spend some of Sammy's money here on some food. I'm starving." She nodded toward the Biggerson's restaurant.

"So according to Bobby this thing was made by a Baton Rouge conjure woman over a hundred years ago and she made it to kill people." Sam informed them as they walked to the restaurant. "If you touch it you get good luck, if you loose it that luck turns and you die within a week." Maria just shared a look with Dean before Sam started talking again. "Bobby's looking for a way to break the curse now." He said as they neared to door to the double doors.

"Don't worry, Bobby will find a way to break it. Until then I say we hit Vegas pull a little rain man. You can be rain man." Dean joked with Sam before he turned to Maria. "And you can be the pretty woman on my arm." His said as he wrapped his arm around her waist and gave her a cocky smile.

She just shook her head at him. "Once again, such and idiot." She said with a smile that let him know she was just kidding.

"Look we just lay low until Bobby calls back okay." Sam said to Dean before he turned to the man at the podium. "Hi, uh, table for three please."

"Congratulations!" the man behind the podium yelled excitedly. "You are the one millionth guest of the Biggerson's restaurant family. The next thing they knew they had been handed a large check and confetti fell on their heads as a camera flashed in their faces. Maria and Dean smiled while Sam's face was squished up from the surprise.

Once the check was taken away and they had picked the confetti off of themselves they were seated and given menus. While Maria ordered the best and most expensive burger and French fries she could find on the menu Dean ordered nothing but ice cream and Sam ordered nothing. When Maria's burger came, she took a big bite. She sighed as she chewed and both of the brothers just looked at her. "I think this is the best burger I've ever had." She said once she swallowed. Sam shook his head while Dean looked jealous. "You should have gotten real food." She said noticing his envious looks at her burger. "You want some?" she asked holding he burger out to him, but he shook his head no not wanting to take her food. She could tell by the way he continued to glance over at her burger that he wanted some. So she pulled her knife out of the napkin it was wrapped in and cut off the third of her burger that didn't have her teeth marks in it then sat it on the napkin and slid it over to him.

"Did you read my mind?" he asked with a look that said that she invaded his head, but she really hadn't.

"Don't flatter yourself. You kept looking at it so I just assumed. Besides, you're a man. Ice cream isn't going to keep you full for long." She said before dipping a fry into his melted ice cream and sticking it in her mouth with a sigh.

"How do you eat like that and not gain weight?" Dean asked, looking her up and down.

She gasped playfully. "Dean Winchester, didn't your father teach you not to ask a woman about her weight?" Dean just blinked at her not realizing that he had asked about her weight. She busted out laughing at his shocked face. "I'm kidding. I have a high metabolism."

Sam who had been messing around on his laptop looked at them over the screen. "Bobby's right. The lore goes way back. Pure hoodoo." He shut his computer lid while Dean picked his ice cream back up and started eating. Maria kept eating her fries. "You can't just cut one off of any rabbit. It has to be in a cemetery, under a full moon, on a Friday the 13th."

Dean having quickly finished his ice cream sat it down. "I say from now on, we only go to places with Biggerson's." He stopped talking to groan and press his palm to his head. Maria and Sam laughed at his brain freeze.

Dean was still groaning when the waitress walked up. "Can I freshen you up?" she asked making all three of them look at her. Sam slid her his cup and she started poring in coffee. "Oh." She said as she realized that she over filled his cup. "Let me wipe that up." She said as she pulled out a rag and wiped the table and the bottom of his cup. "It's no trouble really." She continued to wipe the table as she looked down at Sam. "Sorry about that."

Sam and Dean just stared at the woman while Maria continued to eat her food, uninterested in the supposedly pretty waitress. But when Sam and Dean both leaned forward to look at the waitress's ass she looked up. Without thinking about it she hit Dean on the shoulder. "What?" he asked defensively before he turned to look at Sam. "Dude, if you were ever gonna get lucky."

"Shut up." Sam replied. When he picked up his cup it slipped from his hand spilling hot coffee allover his lap. When he stood to clean himself up he bumped into a waiter, knocking the man to the ground. Sam turned to look at them, dumbfounded.

"Well, that wasn't very lucky." Maria pointed out and Sam fished around in his pocket only to come out empty handed.

"Son of a bitch." Dean said realizing that the waitress took the foot.

"I knew I should have read her mind." Maria thought out loud making Dean and Sam look at her weird. "What, any woman that gets not one but two men to look at her like that and she doesn't mind, needs to have her mind read, because she's up to no good."

"Whatever. Let's just go get her." Dean said as he hopped out of the booth before Maria and they all ran outside. They had just gotten on the asphalt when Sam slipped and fell. Dean and Maria just turned to look at him, amazed that anyone could possibly be that unlucky. "Wow, you suck." Dean said before they both walked over to help him up. Sam's jeans were torn at the knees, blood coated them.

Dean just walked off, but Maria hung back with Sam to make sure he didn't hurt himself again. "Well, Sam, I think I just fell _out_ of love with you." She said with a laugh as she looked up at him. He just shook his head at her with a frown. She made sure he got into the Impala safely before she walked around and got in the back. "Well, we know that a woman hired those guys to steel the foot and that a woman just stole if from us. So why don't we go back to them and see if they call tell us anything?" Maria asked and Dean agreed.

When they got to the men's apartment the door wasn't even locked and the three of them just waltzed right in, Dean lead the pack. "Oh man. What do you want?" the man with the receding hair line, who was sitting in a chair in the middle of the room drinking, asked.

"We know someone hired you to steel the rabbits foot. A woman." Dean said standing in front of the man while Sam and Maria stood on either side of him.

"Oh yeah? How do you know that?" the man in the chair asked.

"Because she just stole it back from us." Dean answered and the man started laughing.

"Listen man this is serio-" Sam started to take a step toward him. Maria saw that Sam was about to trip over the radio cord and tried to catch him, but he still fell and took her down with him. Maria was trapped under him.

Dean turned around to see him on top of Maria. "Sam you okay?" he asked and Sam assured him he was. Dean turned back to the man in the chair to keep the two of them from seeing the look of jealousy on his face. "Then get off her would you?"

"Just tell us her name." Maria said to the guy once Sam was standing again.

"Screw you." He said with a smile at Maria that made her stomach twist.

"It wasn't a freak accident that killed your partner." Dean said getting the attention off of Maria. The guy looked at Dean confused. "It was the rabbits foot."

They guy started laughing. "You're crazy man."

"You know I'm not. You saw what happened, what it did. All the flukes, all the luck. When you loose the foot that luck goes sour. That's what killed your friend." The guys face turned from comical to serious with realization. "and my brother here is next. And who knows how many more innocent people after that. Now if you don't help us stop this thing that puts those deaths on your head." The guy just kept looking at Dean. "I can read people. And I get it. You're a thief and a scumbag. that's fine. But you're not a killer. Are you?"

It was Dean's question that prompted Maria to read the guys mind. _Me? I am a killer._ The mans thought were sad and shaky. _But I didn't mean to be, she wasn't supposed to be home. She startled me and I just shot…_ Maria stepped up to be shoulder to shoulder with Dean. "No, he's not killer." She said with a blank look down at the man who looked at her with watery eyes before he looked down at the ground.

Dean looked over at her and noticed the tiny drop of blood on the inner part of her nose. "So tell us the woman's name and we will leave you be." Dean said and the man finally told them that the only name he had for the woman was Lugosi. Maria read his mind again to make sure he was telling the truth and he was.

They were leaving the apartment building when Dean's phone started to ring. Maria got to the car first and leaned against it while Dean talked on the phone and Sam stood near the side walk as he attempted to scrape gum off of his shoe. "This hot chick stole it from us. In her mid twenties. And she was sharp you know? Good enough with the con to play us."

"All it takes is boobs to play you." Maria said under her breath, but Dean still heard her and gave her a nasty look.

Maria ignored the rest of Dean's conversation and headed over to Sam to help him out with his shoe, but as she neared him his shoe fell into the drain. "Sam, really?" Maria wined at him.

When Dean turned to look at the two of them he saw Sam's sad face and Maria's annoyed one. "What?" he asked.

"I lost my shoe." Dean just turned away looking as annoyed as Maria.

When they got in the Impala Dean filled them in on Bella Talbot and why she stole it from them. "Wait, Bella Talbot?" Maria asked from the backseat.

"Yeah, you know her?" Dean asked as he turned in his seat to look at her.

"Yeah, that bitch manipulated my brother and stole from us." Dean just raised his eyebrows at the hostile tone in her voice. "She steals from people and sells the procured items, as he puts it, to the highest bidder."

"Do you know where she lives?" Sam asked and she nodded.

"Yeah, last I heard she had an apartment in queens."

"Okay, that's where we're headed then."

They dropped Sam off at a motel before they headed out to find Bella's apartment, which was the same one she had when Maria and her brother hand a run in with her. They got there early and did a little surveillance to find Bella's hidden cameras. When they found all of them, Maria did a little tampering with the footage loop and made it so that it would look like Dean was walking to her apartment every thirty minutes.

Maria was already in the house and listened as Bella made a business deal over the phone, then saw Dean on the screen that showed all of the footage from the cameras. She watched as Bella grabbed a gun out of the kitchen counter and made her way to the front door that was left open. When Bella saw the note that was left for her on the keypad by the door she turned around she came face to face with Maria and her gun. Bella held up one of her own at Maria. "Bet you don't remember me." Maria said as Dean walked around Bella to stand next to Maria.

"You forgot your tip." Dean quipped and Bella just rolled her eyes. "You're gonna give it back."

"Oh, sweetie, no I'm not." Bella said as she took a step closer to Maria and Dean. "And no, I don't remember you." She said turning her gun to Maria.

"Well, if you don't remember me you have to at least remember my brother, you did sleep with him after all." Bella just shrugged. "Come on, think. Tall, lanky, brown eyes short black hair. Oh and you stole a cursed Buda statue from him." Bella still shrugged. "We hunted you down, to this place actually, then you knocked me out, he knocked you out and we locked that stupid thing away forever."

Bella smiled. "Oh, yeah, I remember now. You're brother's body is a work of art." She laughed.

Maria scowled, tears building behind her eyes at the thought of her brother. "Was." Maria corrected and Bella pretended to be sad. "What is it with you and the men in my life?" Maria asked making Bella smile bigger.

"I can't help it if you run around with handsome men."

"It's Bella right?" Dean asked snapping them out of their glaring trance on each other.

"That's right, Dean." She said and he reminded her that the foot was cursed. "You'd be surprised by how much some people would pay for that." Maria just rolled her eyes. She had heard this speech before when her and her brother ran into her. "There's a lucrative market out there. a lot of money to be made." Bella laughed at them. "You hunters with all those amulets and talismans you use to stop those big, bad monster. Any one of them could put your children's children through college."

"So you know the truth about what's really going on out there and this is what you decide to do with it? Become a thief?"

"She procures's unique items for a select clientele." Maria said knowing what Bella was going to say, because those words where her catch phrase. "She's a fancy thief." Maria said when Dean looked at her.

"No. I'm a great thief." Maria laughed at her before Dean gave her a look that asked her to shut up.

"Look Bella, my brother, he touched the foot. And when you took it from him his luck-"

"She knows that, Dean." Maria interrupted him. "She doesn't care."

"She's right, I don't care. But you can have the foot." Bella said making them both look at her questioningly. "for 1.5 million."

"Yeah, sure, I'll just call my banker." Dean said, "How'd you even find the damn thing? Stuck in the back of some storage place, middle of nowhere?"

Bella answered by looking at her Ouija board, then started bashing hunters. "we're all going to hell Dean. Might as well enjoy the ride."

"I actually agree with you there. Any hoo, this has been charming, but, uh look at the time. Oh and uh, this. Looks like you're not the only one with sticky fingers." Dean said holding up the rabbits foot that he had stole while Maria was talking to Bella. "If it's any consolation I think you're a truly awful person." Dean said and Maria laughed at the look on Bella's face.

But she stopped when Bella started shooting at Dean missing each time. Maria looked like a deer in the headlights when Bella aimed the gun at her. Dean saw and pushed Maria behind his back. Before he turned and held her to his front as they made their way out of the house. Dean hid her with his body until she was safely in the car. "Well, that was fun." Maria said when Dean got in the drivers seat and held up the foot that was attached to his finger by the chain.

"So, gold digger, you in love with me now?" he asked with a cocky smile at her.

She smiled as she pushed his hand down and kissed him full on the mouth. "Yep." She replied when she pulled back and laughed at the look of shock on his face that quickly changed back to cocky. "But you have to go buy more latto tickets."

"Deal." He said as he looked out of the front glass and started the car with a smile.

On their way back to Sam's motel room they stopped at a gas station and bought more tickets. She scratched one and one five cents while Dean won thousands with every ticket he scratched.

"This is destiny." Maria and Dean heard some guy say and they opened the door to see two men in the room, one holding a gun on sam.

"Nope, not destiny. Just a rabbits foot." Dean said as they stepped into the room and pointed their guns at the men.

"Put the gun down kids, or you're gonna be scraping brain off the wall." The guy said still holding the gun on Sam.

"Oh, this thing?" Dean asked and the guy told him yes. "Okay." He said and when she saw him set his gun down she followed his lucky lead and lowered hers. "But you see there's something about me that you don't know."

"Yeah, what would that be?" the guy asked as he turned his gun on Dean.

"It's my lucky day." Dean said as he tossed a writing pen and it stuck perfectly into the barrel of the gun. Dean started laughing. "Ha! Oh my god. Did you see that shot?" he said before the other man tried to punch him and Dean simply dodged making the guy knock himself out on the wall. "I'm amazing." Dean bragged as he picked up the tv remote and tossed it at the guy who had just pulled the pen out of his gun. The remote hit him square in the head and knocked him out. Dean, who's hand was still outstretched said in a gravely voice "I'm batman."

Sam, who was still duct taped to a chair just looked at him and said "yeah, you're batman." Maria just busted out laughing as she went over and pulled out her knife to cut Sam out of the chair.

With the cleansing ritual in hand along with the rabbit's foot they headed off to find a graveyard and get rid of the thing. "Alright. Bone ash, cayenne pepper, that should do it." Sam said as he sprinkled the cleansing dust onto a bed a coals.

"One second." Dean said as he stood scratching lottery tickets while Maria watched over his shoulder with a smile. "Hey, back off jinx. I'm brinin' home the bacon." He said to Sam with a grin over at Maria who smiled back. He tucked the tickets into his jacket that was tossed over a stone before he pulled the rabbits foot out of his jeans pocket. "Alright. Say goodbye, rascally rabbit." He was about to drop it into the coals when they heard a gun cock and all turned to see Bella standing there. Her gun was trained on Dean.

"I think you'll find that belongs to me." She said and they all just looked at her. "Or, you know, whatever. Put the foot down, honey."

"No." Dean said giving her a hard headed look. "You're not gonna shoot anybody." Maria rolled her eyes at the tone of his voice. The same tone he used when he gave the guy a speech before. He was so full of himself right now. "See, I happen to be able to read people."

"Dean," Maria said trying to get his attention, but he wouldn't listen.

"Okay, you're a thief, fine, but you're not-" he was cut off when Bella shot Sam. "Son of a-" he yelled and Maria moved behind him.

"Back off, tiger." Bella yelled at them. "Back off. You make one more move and I'll pull the trigger." Dean just stared at her wondering if Bella was completely insane. "You've got luck, Dean. You I can't hit and she is standing behind you feeding off your luck. But your brother, him I can't miss."

"What the hell is wrong with you!?" Dean yelled while holding one hand against Maria's hip, keeping her behind him. "You don't just go around shooting people like that!"

"Relax. It's a shoulder hit, I can aim. Besides who here hasn't shot a few people?" she asked. "Put the rabbits foot on the ground now."

"Alright, alright. Just take it easy." Dean slowly started to put it on the ground. "Think fast." He said as he tossed it to Bella and she caught it without thinking about it. Bella sighed and glared at Dean. "Now, what do you say we destroy that ugly ass piece of dead thing?" he asked and Bella walked over to toss it into the coals.

"Thanks very much. I'm out one and a half million on the bad side of a powerful, psychotic buyer." Bella complained.

"Somehow I don't feel bad about that at all." Maria said from where she stood between Sam and Dean.

"Maybe next time I'll hang you out to dry." Bella stopped and put her hand on Dean's jacket.

"Oh, don't go away angry, just go away." Dean called

Bella smiled "Have a nice night guys." And walked away. When the foot was finished burning they covered up the hole and headed to the car. "I guess we're back to normal now huh? No good luck, no bad luck. Oh, forgot we're up 46,000. I almost forgot about the…scratch tickets…" his smile faded when they heard tires screeching and a horn honking. The tickets were gone and Bella got her money. "Son of a bitch!" Dean yelled.

They all walked sadly back to the car. "Well, I guess my gold digging days are over." Maria sighed making Sam smile over at her while Dean still frowned at her over the hood of the car. Sam got inside and closed the door. "Sorry, Dean."

"Wait, you still love me thought, right?" he asked, his eyes big with wonder.

"I don't know, maybe." She said with a small smile before she climbed into the car and shut the door. Dean frowned and scratched his head before he too got in and cranked the impala. He sped off, anger making him spin tires.


	9. Chapter 9

**Sleeping With The Ally**

**Disclaimer:** See Chapter one.

**Chapter 9**: **Applebees Karaoke**

"Trust me guys. The food here is great." Maria said as she slid into the booth of her favorite restaurant, Applebee's. The guys were always eating at mom and pop cafes and diners, which was fine, but Maria liked to eat at chain restaurants too. She was surprised when Dean had said that he had never eaten at an Applebee's or Chili's. So here they were.

"If you say it's good then I trust you. You have awesome taste when it comes to food." Dean said as he slid in beside her.

Sam sat across from him. "Can't believe I'm saying this, but Dean's right." Sam said with a smile at her over his menu. She had been noticing over the past day or so that Sam was warming up to her a little more.

"So, what do you recommend?" Dean asked with a glance at her menu even thought his was open in his hands.

"That depends." Maria said as he looked across her shoulder at him. "What are you in the mood for?"

"Hmm" he made a face that said he was thinking as he scanned the menu. "Steak."

"Okay then I recommend the nine ounce sirloin. It's good, simple and comes with veggies and either a baked potato or garlic potatoes." She said as she reached across Dean to point to the picture of the steak on his menu. He wrinkled his nose at the steamed vegetables on the plate. "You can replace the veggies with another side." She said with a small laugh.

"What about me? Preferably a salad." Sam asked not looking at her over his menu.

"Hmm. I'm not much on salad, but I've had the Thai shrimp one. It's really good, you know, for rabbit food. I hear the chicken Caesar is good too, but I've never had it.

"What about you? What are you gonna get?" Dean asked as he leaned over to try and figure out what she was looking at on her menu.

"Bourbon street chicken and shrimp minus the sautéed onions and mushrooms. I hate onions and eating mushrooms is like chewing on rubber." She explained as she sat down the food menu and picked up the one for drinks that was in a holder at the end of the table.

A little while later the waitress came around and took their orders. The guys ordered beers while Maria decided to go out of the box and ordered a fireball whiskey lemonade.

As they sipped on their drinks they discussed past cases and things they had found in the newspapers before dinner that could possibly be their next case. So far they had found nothing and were getting restless. Hence why there were sitting at an Applebee's that Maria convinced them to go to.

When their food arrived they all ate in silence. That was until 10:00 rolled around and karaoke kicked off. Some woman, who couldn't sing a lick, took the little platform and sang The Devil Went Down To Georgia. She slaughtered the song into a million little pieces. Then a man took the stage and screamed his lungs out to Paranoid by Black Sabbath. To top that off the woman that followed him sang Living on A Prayer by Bon Jovi.

"Okay. Either they need to stop or we need to take our food to go." Sam said with a disgusted look toward the karaoke stage where a man had started singing what sounded like an opera song.

"I have a better idea." Dean said as he scooted out of the booth and headed to the woman that was in charge of the song list. Nobody saw him slip her a twenty before he walked away.

As soon as Dean came back to the booth the opera-ish music was cut off and the woman in charge took the microphone from in front of the pissed off looking guy. "Our next singer is a lovely woman from Texas who goes by the name of Maggie."

Maria looked at Dean confused as to why he was standing outside the booth with a smug look on his face. "Have fun, Maggie." He said with a cocky tilt of his head. His smile grew to a laugh at the horrified look on Maria's face.

"Dean what did you do?" she asked as her face paled, he pulled her to her feet and gave her a little shove.

"Ah, there she is. Come on up here honey." The woman holding the mic motioned her over and Maria had no choice but to move toward the stage. When she got close, the woman lowered the mic and whispered to her. "Your friend didn't tell me what you would be singin', so what's it gonna be?" she asked and Maria just stared at her, dumbfounded as to what was going on.

She was petrified. Sure, she could trap a demon and exorcise it without a book and hack the head off of a vampire, but having all eyes on her was a whole other thing to deal with. Dean didn't know, but she had stage fright. "Um… Come A Little Closer, Dierks Bentley." She said through numb lips, choosing the first song that came to her head, as the woman handed her the mic and walked back to her computer. Maria stood there, tightly gripping the microphone in her hands and she stared at Dean where he sat at their table looking at her as if he was reconsidering what he had done. She jumped nervously when the music started playing and glanced at the woman then down at the little tv screen that showed the lyrics. She could feel the heat that rose to her cheeks along with the red that brightly tinted them. Her heart felt as if it was about to beat out of her chest and her breath came in little gasps.

"Come a little closer, baby. I feel like layin' you down." Her words came out cracked and flat catching the attention of everyone on the room. "On a bed sweet surrender, where we can work it all out." Her cracked talking continued and she closed her eyes, blocking out everyone on the room. She imagined that she was just in the back of the Impala with her ear buds in her ears blaring her music that covered up Dean's. She convinced herself that her voice was being drowned out and no one could hear but herself. "There ain't nothin' that love can't fix. Boy, it's right here at our fingertips." Her voice came out stronger and when her eyes opened they landed on Dean. His face was full of concern, but it changed when her next words came out. "So come a little closer baby, I feel like layin' you down." Her voice was strong and as beautiful as he had remembered it being when he would catch her singing in the back seat of his car.

Sometimes when he was blaring his music at a gas station and if Sam was still inside getting snacks, Dean would turn down his music just to hear her singing whatever ridicules country song was playing on her ipod. Now, looking at her up on the stage, lost on her own world of music and lyrics, she was more beautiful to him then than she had ever been before.

When she saw him smile at her she couldn't help but smile back through singing. "I wanna touch you like a cleansing rain. Let it wash all the hurt away. So come a little closer baby, I feel like lettin' go." She had completely forgotten about all the people in the restaurant. All of her attention was on Dean, as if she had tunnel vision and she was singing to just him. "If there's still a chance, then take my hand and we'll steal away off into the night 'till we make things right. The suns gonna rise on a better day."

Sam saw how his brother's eyes were glued to Maria and the goofy look that had taken over his face. It was almost the same face he had when he saw a new issue of Busty Asian Beauties. He just sighed, shook his head and turned his attention back to his food. He wondered if his brother would ever realize his feelings for Maria, or maybe he knew exactly how he felt about her and just didn't want to admit it. In the long run, if she fell for Dean, she would get hurt because Dean had a limited life span. Eventually Sam shut it all out and just listened to her ear pleasing voice.

Dean on the other hand was still locked in on Maria who had loosened up and had both hands resting on the microphone that she had put on the stand. "Just a little bit closer baby. Come a little bit closer baby. I feel like layin' you down." When the song finished she finally looked away from Dean to look around at the room of people who stood up to clap. The redness that had faded from her cheeks during the song, made a violent come back and she had to keep the tears of nervousness from falling as she gave the audience a shaky "Thank you" and headed over to Dean. When she got close to him he moved to embrace her with a smile on his face, but she slugged him in the shoulder. The smile on his face faded at the scowl that was on hers. "Don't you _ever_ fucking do that again." She pointed her finger in his face before she snatched her purse from the bench behind him and stalked off.

"Dude, she dropped the F bomb on you. She's pissed." Sam said with a confused look up at his brother.

"Yeah, we should probably go." Dean waved down a waitress, got three to go boxes, boxed up all the food, grabbed his coat and left. Maria was sitting in the back seat with her ear buds in her ears, her arms crossed over his chest and her eyes closed.

When they got to the hotel rooms that they rented for the night, Maria got out of the Impala without a word, grabbed her food from the bag that Dean was holding and started toward her room. When she turned to walk away he touched her shoulder to get her attention, but she shrugged him off and kept on walking. He looked to Sam for help, but he just shrugged his shoulders. Neither of them understood why she was so mad.

Once in her room she sat the food on the little round table in the corner and flopped down on the king bed. Her heart was still beating faster than normal. Crowds had never been Maria's thing unless she was partying or had all eyes on her because she was beating the shit out of some guy at a night club. If she was in a crowd that was expecting something good or decent from her, panic started to take control of her. She had even had a panic attack because of said reasons when she was at the boarding school in Texas. A talent show was held and everyone had to contribute a talent. Maria's best friend talked her into singing. She started hyperventilating as soon as she stepped onto the big stage with the spot light beating down into her eyes. She ended up running off the stage to hide in the makeup room.

She had been laying on her bed for thirty minutes, trying to calm her heart and breathing when she heard a knock on the door. She ignored it knowing that it was Dean, but he kept on knocking so she finally got up and jerked the door open. He took a step back at her glaring eyes. "I'm sorry." His worried look caused her to drop her glare and take a step to the side to motion him inside.

When he was inside she sat down on the bed and he sat next to her. "I shouldn't be mad at you, but I just…" she sighed and folded her hands in her lap as she avoided his eyes.

"You just…?" he questioned and she made herself look at him.

"I have stage fright, okay? It's usually so bad that I run off of stage and have a full on panic attack."

"I didn't know. You just sound good when you sing in the car…I didn't think it would be a big deal." He said looking into her eyes wishing he could take away all the stress he had unknowingly put on her shoulders.

"No, you didn't know, which is why I'm not mad at you. I was just in the middle of a small panic attack. I'm sorry I took my anger out on you. I don't even know how I made it though that song. I just…" she trailed off not knowing how he would take the fact that it was him, his handsome face and pretending like he was the only person in the room that got her through it all.

"You what?" he asked not thinking as he ran his hand comfortingly across her shoulders and down to rest on the small of her back. Her heart started beating hard again, but this time it had nothing to do with a panic attack.

"I looked at you and it was like…everyone else disappeared. You were the only person in the room that could hear me and I didn't care. Wait," what he said about her singing in the car sank in "What do you mean I always sounded good in the car?" she asked as she pulled back and looked at him shocked.

"Yeah…" he scratched his head almost feeling ashamed for listening in on her. "You aren't always as hidden by my music as you think you are." They both sat in silence letting what the other said sink in. "So you're comfortable with me hearing you sing?" he asked with a look that verged on cocky, but was more flattered than anything.

"Amazingly enough, yes." She said as she stared at the wall behind his head before meeting his bright green eyes.

"Were you singin' that song to me?" he asked making a blush sweep across her cheeks.

"I don't know…maybe." She half smiled at him before looking down at her hands.

"It's always maybe with you. Maybe you'll sleep with me some other time. Maybe you still love me. Maybe you are comfortable with me hearing you sing." He said pointing out the whole three time's she had told him maybe. "Is it ever going to be more than maybe?"

"I don't know…maybe?" She said with a small laugh, not realizing that he was being serious. He wasn't one for chick flick moments and the one he had given her just expired. So in his usual style Dean just shook his head with a sigh and headed for the door. "Whatever." His flat words made her run after him and grab his wrist before he could open the door.

"I'm sorry, Dean. I really am." He rolled his eyes at the pleading look on her face and he tried to open the door again, but she smacked his hand away. He just looked at her, agitated. Tears were stinging the backs of her eyes. "I am more attracted to you than I have ever been attracted to any man before. Hell I may even love you for real, but-" she was cut off when his hand gripped the back of her head and pulled her lips to his. A tear escaped at the wonderful feeling that she wished she could feel every second of every day.

But eventually he pulled back to look into her eyes. "No woman has ever told me that before." He breathed against her lips, his hands still gripping the back of her neck.

She pressed her forehead against his and placed her hands on each of his sandpapery cheeks. "Dean, you're…" she trailed off not trying to stop another tear that slid down her reddened cheek.

"Gonna die in a year?" He finished her sentence and she nodded her head. "And you don't want to get attached." It wasn't a question, but she nodded again anyways. "Okay," he let go of her and she did the same before he pulled the door open, "I'll… see you tomorrow then?" he asked, wondering if she was going to make a run for it in the middle of the night. He wouldn't blame her if she did, he would run too if he were her. Seeing her teary eyed nod didn't reassure him very much.

After he had taken a few steps down the side walk, he heard bare feet running toward him and he turned just in time to be slammed with her body against his as her lips caught his. His arms instantly wrapped around her waist. Then just like that she was running back to her room where she slammed the door leaving him standing there dumbfounded before he walked zombie-like back to his and Sam's room.

When she closed the door she pressed her back to it and slid down. Tears slid continually down her face as she debated going back to Bobby's and keeping tabs on the guys from there. She knew there was no way she could keep Dean out of her life completely. She would always have to know if he was alive and okay and through Bobby was the best way to do that.

So she showered, dressed, gathered her things and threw them over her shoulder before she left the room. She checked out, and borrowed a pen and piece of paper from the man at the desk to write a note to Sam and Dean.

_Guys, I'm sorry, but I think from now on it would be best if I flew solo. It has nothing to do with ya'll. I just work better on my own. I won't tell you where I'm going, but I'm sure I'll see you again. -Mia. Ps. I'm not from Texas, neither is Maggie._

She went to the guys room and slid it under the door before making a hasty get away. Thankfully the bus station wasn't a far hike away and she got a one way ticket to the town closest to Bobby's. From there she hitchhiked. Doing that was a lot easier since she could read people's minds and find out if they had any intentions of killing her or worse. Surprisingly enough the first person that stopped had the cleanest feeling head that she had ever invaded. For a second she wondered if angels were real and looking after her, but brushed it off.

When she arrived at Bobby's it was the middle of the day and he wasn't home. She was tired from being on the road for a day and a half so she found her Camaro and made her self comfortable in the back seat like she had so many times in the past.

Later that night she was woken up by a knocking on the window. She sat up and saw Bobby glaring at her. With a stretch she opened the door and got out. "Hi Bobby." She greeted with a yawn and he just stared at her.

"Don't you have any other friends to drop in on?" if she hadn't known Bobby, she would have been offended, but the smile in his tone made her smile back.

"Nope, all my other contacts either think I killed a restaurant full of people or think I've gone dark side." she said and he shook his head.

"Don't worry kid, you'll always be welcome here." He waved her toward the house as he started heading inside. "So, you tired of them two idjots already?" he asked not looking back at her.

"Dean and I…we uh…things just got weird." She stumbled around not wanting to lie to him, but not wanting to give too much detail at the same time.

"Ya don't gotta explain." He said as they stepped inside and he went to the kitchen to grab a beer. He offered her one, but she waved him off. "Guest bedrooms made up if you're still sleepy." He pointed to the stairs.

"I am." She sighed as she took a step closer to the man she was starting to look up to. "Thanks Bobby." She gave him a side hug before heading up the stairs to flop down in the bed. It didn't even take her five minutes before she was out again.

She awoke the next morning feeling completely rested and relaxed. She was still in her yoga pants and oversized t-shirt when she went down stairs for coffee. When she passed Bobby's library her eyes caught three figures standing around the table. She backtracked down the hallway and looked in to see Sam and Dean looking down at the colt. "It would be nice to have this thing up and runnin'." Dean said before he noticed her standing in the hallway. "Well _you_ didn't run far did you?" he asked.

Maria rolled her eyes. "I wasn't running. I just needed a break."

"From me?" he asked with an chill in his voice that she had never heard before.

"No, Dean. I-"

"You what? When the goin gets tough the Mia gets goin?" he asked closing in on her.

"Is it just me or did the temperature in the room just drop about hundred degrees?" Bobby asked Sam who mimicked a shiver. Bobby jerked his head toward the exit and they both left giving Maria and Dean the room.

"That's not what happened, Dean." Even as she said the words she knew they were a lie that he could see right through.

"Is that why you blame yourself for your family's deaths?" he asked.

"Shut up." She said, her arms crossed over her chest.

"Things got hard between you all so you split and they died without your help?" he took a step closer to be chest to chest with her.

"I said shut up." She warned again, not liking the dark look in his eyes. Anger was building up inside of her at the accusations he was making toward her about her family.

"No, tell me. Did you bail on them like you bailed on me? You did didn't you?"

Without thinking about it or realizing what she had done until she had done it, she punched him square in his jaw. "Shut up!" she took a step back, horrified that she had actually hit him, but didn't feel sorry about it. "You don't have a damn clue, Dean. Just Stop talking!"

Bobby and Sam, having heard the punch and Maria screaming at Dean, stood from the couch and headed for the fighting people. "Sam, you take her. I'll take your brother." They got between Dean and Maria and pushed them apart. Their eyes never broke the glaring contact with each other. It was only when Sam urged her out of Dean's sight that she ran up to her room and slammed the door behind her. Sam didn't take the clear hint that she wanted to be left alone and let himself in.

She was laying face down on her bed, her body shaking with muffled sobs. Sam had no clue of how to comfort the woman. So he settled himself onto the edge of the bed and simply laid his hand on her shaking back. After a minute or so, she rolled over to stare at the popcorn textured ceiling. "He doesn't know what he's talking about." She said once she had wiped her nose. "I didn't run from my family, they ran from me." She said with an angry look at the ceiling. "My mom, uncle Scott, they found out that I could read minds and ran. I didn't understand why then, but I know now it's because they knew about the demon blood in me and thought I was gonna go rogue."

"Yeah, Dad thought the same of me." He said making her meet his eyes for the first time since he entered her room.

"Really?" she asked as she pushed herself up to lean against the head of the bed and hug her knees to her chest. "Is that why you and Dean where looking for him? Because he was running from you?" she asked.

He nodded. "Basically." He looked down at the messy covers on the bed before meeting her eyes again. "What about your brother? He didn't go with your mom and uncle?" he asked.

She shook her head. "No, he believed that I was a good person and that I wouldn't change because of my abilities. But I think…he just believed in me because I wanted him to, needed him to. I wouldn't have been able to…deal if all of my family turned their backs on me because of something I couldn't control. And he knew that so he stayed with me. And because of that, of me, he's dead. I couldn't help my mom and uncle Scott, but Keaton? It's purely my fault."

"Because he wanted to keep you safe?" Sam asked with confusion twisted face.

"No," she looked down at the blanket and started playing with the hem, "because I slept with a demon." She made herself meet his eyes. "Me, being stupid, reckless, lustful me, didn't make sure the guy passed the tests before I invited him into our room. Keaton didn't know I had a guy in the room and walked in on us. When he did the demon threw him against the wall into a sharp sconce. It stabbed him in the back and he died before the ambulance could even get there. The demon ran, of coarse, but I eventually found him and exorcised him."

"And you never told Dean any of this?" Sam asked with creased brows and a small shake of his head.

"No, he never asked and I never felt the need to tell." She said looking back down at the hem of the blanket.

"Does Bobby?" he asked.

She nodded. "He knows about Mom and Uncle Scott, I'm sure he knows about Keaton too."

Meanwhile Bobby had been filling Dean in on how her family had died.

"Why didn't she ever tell me any of this?" he asked Bobby with creased brows and a confused face.

"Come on, Dean. Would you have told her any of that if you were her? Have you told her how your dad died?" Dean just shook his head no. "Then there you go. Try to see her side of things."

They both sat quietly in thought for a while. "I still can't understand why she just left in the middle of the night like that." The lie fell off of his lips.

Bobby laughed. "Sometimes women do things for reasons they don't even understand." He slapped Dean on the back before he stood from the porch steps and headed inside. At the same time Dean was walking into the living room, Maria walked down the stairs. Their eyes found each others at the same time and he jerked his head to outside. She followed him out, but she didn't stop at porch steps. Instead she went to her car and leaned against the hood.

He followed and stood in front of her. It was quiet and she was wondering if she should be the first one to say something, but when she opened her mouth he finally spoke. "I'm sorry. I had no right to say those things about your family." He blurted out before he looked at the ground and kicked at the dirt.

"I'm assuming Bobby filled you in?" she asked and he nodded. "Then you know that mom and Uncle Scott left me, not the other way around?" she asked with raised brows.

"Yes, but you still left me. You dropped a bomb like you might love me then you ran." He was talking with his hands and being more sincere than she had ever seen him be before.

"I thought I was saving us both from a lot of pain." He opened his mouth to say something but she cut him off. "You like to flirt, Dean. You do it in front of me and I don't like it, but we aren't together. We aren't dating so I have absolutely no right to keep you from being with someone else. I thought it would be easier if I were here, helping Bobby with the research while you and your brother take care of things out there. I don't have to see you with other women and you do have to see me talking to other men." He was quiet for a while as he kicked at the one little sprig of grass that was growing in the scrap yard. "You know I'm right. I didn't have to read your mind to know that you didn't like seeing me with Dylan."

"Dylan?" he asked looking up from the ground to look at her eyes that were lit up from the security light that her car was parked next to.

"Yes, Dylan. The bartender who walked my drunk ass to he motel when you were sleeping with the dumb mint bimbo twins." She said with a disgusted look at him from the bad memory.

"You remember his name?" he asked.

She crossed her arms over her chest and rolled her eyes. "You're getting off topic. Am I right or am I right?" she asked as she pushed herself off of the car to stand chest to chest with him again.

"You're wrong." He moved away from her to lean against the light pole.

"And why is that?" she asked and he didn't answer. He just stared at her like he wanted to hit her, but Dean wouldn't hit a woman unless there was a demon inside her. "Answer me, Dean…please." All harshness fell from her voice as she took a few steps toward him.

"Because."

She sighed when he didn't elaborate. "Because…?" she drawled as she resisted the urge to slide her hands over his arms and pull the answer from him.

"Because the only thing that would hurt worse than seeing you with another man everyday is going everyday without seeing you." His eyes locked on her's, searching for a sign that she was going to break the brick wall that was keeping them apart.

But finally she couldn't take the look he was giving her and she broke eye contact to sit on the hood of her car again. "Seems we've reached an impasse."

"Yeah, guess so." He said as he passed her on his way inside.

She just stared at her hands until she heard the front door shut. With him gone she fell back to lay on the hood of her car. Her fingers splayed out across the smooth blue paint as she stared up at the few stars that could be seen through the light above her head. She wanted so bad to give into Dean, but giving in would be setting herself up for more heartbreak than what she was already feeling.

When dew started to settle onto her skin and make her feel sticky she headed inside with a sigh. The guys were hovering over the colt again, so she headed upstairs and took a shower before she settled into bed again. She couldn't sleep, but she also knew that if she didn't try, her sleeping schedule would be all kinds of messed up. So she tried to sleep and eventually did.


	10. Chapter 10

**Sleeping With The Ally**

**Disclaimer:** See chapter one.

**Chapter 10:** **Sin City**.

The next morning Maria woke up and attempted to fix the bed head she had experienced from sleeping with her hair down and wet. But it was impossible to make it look presentable down so it got coiled onto the top of her head in a messy bun. She dressed in a pair of hip hugging jeans and a loose, black and white stripped, scoop neck t-shirt that hung off of one shoulder to reveal the black tank top underneath, then headed down stairs.

After getting herself a cup of coffee she found Dean and Bobby in the library with the colt in a million pieces. "Morning sunshine." Bobby greeted making Dean look up at her. He couldn't help but smile to himself at the mess of waves that were twisted onto a mess atop her head.

"What are you boys doin'?" she asked making Bobby scoff at her calling him a boy.

"Trying to figure out what makes this demon killer tick." Bobby explained as Dean hit a certain part of the gun with a small hammer and a pin flew out onto the table.

"Hey." Sam said as he walked into the room.

"Hey, what's up?" Dean asked his brother, speaking for the first time since Maria came down stairs.

"Might have found some omens in Ohio. Dry lightening, barometric pressure drop." Sam said holding up some papers.

"That's thrilling." Dean answered still working on the gun.

Sam smiled and nodded to Maria in greeting. "Plus, some guy blows his head off in a church and another goes postal in a hobby shop before the cops take him out. Might be demonic omens."

"Or it could be a suicide and a psycho scrap booker." Dean said finally looking away from his work on the gun to look at his brother.

"Yeah, but it's our best lead since Lincoln." Sam argued.

"Where in Ohio?" Dean asked while Maria watched Bobby work on his part of the gun.

"Elizabethville. It's a half-dead factory town in the rust belt." Maria half paid attention to the brothers conversation.

"There's gotta be a demon or two in south beach." Maria exchanged a smile with Sam at Dean's complaining.

"Sorry, Hef, Maybe next time." Sam and Maria laughed. "How's it goin', Bobby?" he asked the man who was concentrating on the gun in his hand.

"Slow." Bobby answered with a glance up at the people in the room with him.

"Man I tell you, it's a little sad seeing the colt like that." Dean said looking at all the pieces laying around on the table.

"Well, the only thing it's good for now is figuring out what makes it tick." Bobby said still fiddling with the piece in his hand.

"So what makes it tick?" Maria asked receiving a look from Bobby that made her raise a hand in surrender.

"So if we want to go check out the demons in Ohio, you think you can have that ready by this afternoon?" Dean asked knowing he was going to get a nasty look from Bobby. Sam and Maria snickered.

"Well, it won't kill demons by then, but I can promise you it'll kill you." Bobby said as he pulled back the hammer on the part he had in his hands to point it at Dean.

Sam and Dean busted out laughing while Maria, who was standing behind Bobby's chair, looked down at his ball cap covered head with a smile on her face. "Alright, come on. We're wasting the daylight." Dean grabbed his coat off of the back of the chair and started to walk out before he turned back to look at Maria. "You comin'?"

She shifted her weight from foot to foot a few times in thought as She looked from Dean to Sam hoping for help of some kind, but he just shrugged. She sighed and scratched her head. "Yeah. Let me go get my bag." She ran upstairs and grabbed her bag off of the floor next to the bed she had slept on the previous night and met the boys who were still in the office with Bobby.

"Alright, see you Bobby." Dean said before they all started to leave.

"Hey," Bobby called and they all turned to look at him. "You boys run into anything, _anything_, you call me." The guys just nodded and Bobby turned his eyes to her. "That means you too."

She just smiled as she walked over and bent down to peck him quickly on the cheek. "Thanks again Bobby." She smirked down at the surprised look on his face before the three of them left. When they got outside, instead of following Sam and Dean to the Impala like she used to do, she pulled her keys out of her pocket and walked over to her Camaro.

"What about saving gas?" Sam asked and she just turned to look at him.

"I think the economy will survive if I take my own car." Dean rolled his eyes as he slid into the Impala and shut the door. Sam on the other hand smirked at her making her smirk back. When she slid inside and cranked the car she felt more at home than she had in months. From the comfortable, seat that was practically molded to her body, to the familiar rumble of the engine, it all said "Welcome home Maria Nicole Morris". It felt good to be on the road in her car again.

Once they got close to Elizabethville they stopped at a gas station and changed into their insurance adjuster outfits. Maria changed into a navy blue pencil skirt, white v neck t-shirt, a matching blue blazer and a pair of black pumps. The boys changed into their suits then they were off to the church to talk to the priest who saw the suicide.

After talking to the priest they found out that Andy, the guy who committed suicide in the church, had been a reliable church member. But then two months ago, when the devils gate was opened, he changed. He started cheating on his wife, gambled away all of his money and in the process, destroyed his business. They also found out that the man who killed people in the hobby shop, Tony Perkins, was once a good man too, but also changed two months ago. None of them thought that the men changing when the devils gate was opened was a coincidence. They all thought that the men were possessed.

After talking to the man at the hobby shop, just to hear the same information that the priest told them, they went to a hotel to rent some rooms. "Two rooms please." Sam said as they all walked up to the counter where a pretty young blond, who looked too young to be working the front desk, stood.

"Oh, sorry, we only have one room left, but it does have two queens." She said looking at them with a hopeful face.

"Seriously?" an aggravated Maria said under her breath, but the girl still heard her.

"I'm sorry, but we've been full up for the past two months. Your lucky there's even a room left." The blond apologized genuinely.

Maria sighed and scratched her head in thought. "I'll just… go somewhere else then." She let her hand fall to slap her outer thigh.

"You don't have to do that." Sam spoke up making Maria look at him.

"Yeah, Mia, come on. You don't have to go to a different hotel just so you don't have to share with Sam." Maria just stared at him. Did he really think that it was Sam she didn't want to be around? "Do you guys have a cot?" Dean turned to the counter and asked the woman who nodded. "See, you can room with us."

Maria rubbed the back of her neck and sighed. "Okay, fine, I guess." She said and the woman handed them paperwork to sign along with their room keys. It surprised her that the room keys were actual keys and not the aggravating pieces of plastic that she was used to.

As soon as she sat foot in the room her eyes instantly went to the mirrors over the bed. Dean laughed and nodded his head in approval. Maria just looked at him and shook her head. "Classy, real classy." She tossed her bag onto the floor where she intended to put the cot when it was brought up.

"Ritchie?" she heard Dean ask from where he was closing the door. "I don't believe it." Dean took a step out into the hallway. Sam and Maria moved to stand behind him where they could see who he was talking to.

"Hey, Dean…Winchester right?" Richie asked and Dean nodded. A woman with blond crimped hair who was wearing a jean skirt and showing a lot of cleavage walked out of the guys room and Maria raised her eyebrows. "Oh, uh this is my sister, uh… Cheryl." The guy laughed as he handed her some cash. Cheryl just told them all hey before tucking the money into her cleavage and walking away. Maria shook her head when Dean and Richie both stared at her ass as she walked away. "Well, you know, stepsister." The guy laughed with a shrug. _Is it bad that I think his Boston accent makes everything he says sound laughable?_ She thought to herself, but then brushed it off.

Dean just looked around with a confused look on his face before jerking his head toward their room. "Come on in. This is my brother Sam and my, uh…friend, Maria."

"Hey, how you doin'?" Richie asked Sam who answered before Richie turned to Maria and gave her a smile. "What about you sweet cheeks?" he was talking to her like she was the woman that just walked away from him, instead of a hunter who could break his arm in a split second.

"She's not that kind of friend, Richie." Dean corrected.

But Maria put on a seductive aura as she sauntered closer to him and rested her wrist on Richie's shoulder. "Well, I'm not that kind of friend to Dean, but I could be to you." She said with a voice that was almost a whisper and very Marilyn Monroe-ish.

Dean turned from where he was setting something on the nightstand, to look at her hand on Richie. "Really?" All of the men said in unison.

"No." she said with her normal voice as she gave him a pat on the cheek. She laughed and Dean laughed with her.

"You ever slept with a hunter Richie?" Dean asked and he just shook his head. "You should watch out for that then, because that one right there," he pointed to Maria with raised brows, "could probably castrate you faster than you can say I'm sorry."

Maria, not expecting such a comment from Dean, busted out laughing. Richie just looked at her and smiled. "So, how do you two know each other?" Sam asked and Dean turned his attention to his brother.

"You were in school." He said before Richie picked up the conversational stick.

"It was that succubus in Canarsie, right?" he asked and Dean confirmed. "Oh man, you should've seen the rack on this broad." Richie, having forgotten that Maria was in the room, turned and gave her a apologetic smile. "Frigging tragedy when I had to gank her."

"Whoa whoa, wait. Who? Who killed her?" Dean asked as he rolled up his sleeves and walked closer to Richie. "If I remember your ass was toast until I showed up."

"Oh, I forgot what a comedian this guy was." Richie pointed to Dean, but looked at Maria like he was defending his honor.

"Richie, I told you then, I'll tell you again. You're not cut out for this job. You're gonna get yourself killed." Richie just brushed Dean off and answered his phone. When he hung up with what sounded like a woman, he sat down on the couch.

With greetings out of the way they started discussing the case in the town. He told them about Trotter. A guy who used to be head of the rotary club, but turned bad. He was the reason the gambling and hookers had taken over the whole town, which he mostly owned. Then it was decided that they would go to Trotter's bar in a few hours. Richie told them where it was then that he would meet them there later.

After her cot arrived, looking like it hadn't been used in years, she put the clean sheets that the hotel provided on the bed and flopped down on it to take a nap. Dean was laying on his bed that was vibrating away. "Richie doesn't really have a chance with you does he?" he asked over the loud bed with his eyes on her.

She laughed. "No, Dean, I just like messing with people." _You should know that by now._ she thought to herself. "Why do you ask?" she asked with a tone that suggested she really wasn't interested in the conversation being held. She knew why he asked, she just wanted to hear him say it.

"Because you can do better." He said back with the same tone.

She just rolled her eyes, grabbed her bag and disappeared into the bathroom. For some reason, she felt like getting dressed up. So she took a shower, moosed her hair so that it hung in wet looking ringlets all over her head. She came out of the bathroom in the same clothes as before and left the room without a word. When she came back she had what looked to him like a big purple tool box in her hand. He just watched as she disappeared back into the bathroom and closed the door behind her.

Sam, seeing the looks his brother was giving Maria, decided to go to the local library for a while. She emerged an hour and a half later with the top half of her hair curled into a small bun on the back of her head and the rest of her hair hanging down her back and a few curls around her face. She was wearing more makeup than he had ever seen her wear, but at the same time it didn't look like she had too much on. Her eyelids were sparkling with black glitter, eyelashes were longer, cheek bones lightly chiseled and her lips were a bright red that accented her skin tone.

He thought from her shoulders up was beautiful, but as his eyes traveled down her body he took in her whole attire, jealousy grew in the pit of his stomach. She was wearing a reverse corset top that laced all the way down the front revealing a long streak of her lightly tanned stomach along with a tiny amount of side boob as the silver laces traveled up her torso. The slightly puffy sleeves rested off her shoulders but the top was supported by thick straps that went over her shoulders. The top stopped an inch short of meeting her black skinny jeans. To top it all off, she had on a pair of classic strappy black heals, but the heel itself was metallic silver.

She caught him staring and cleared her throat. "Dean, my eyes are up here."

He shook his head and stood from the still shaking bed. "What are you trying to pull?" he asked. If he had his way she wouldn't be leaving the room looking like that, much less going to a bar.

"What are you talkin' about?" she put her hands on her hips, which pushed out her boobs. Not helping her case.

"You look like a hooker." His voice was flat and his eyes were narrowed.

"Are you my father now?" she asked and he just stared. "Dean, I saw how you looked at that woman earlier, how you look at every attractive woman that walks by. I am not going to dress like a slob so that other men don't look at me. You look at other women, why can't other men look at me?" she asked.

_Because you're mine. _He though, but she didn't read his mind, she had promised him she wouldn't. Instead he said nothing and just laid back down on the bed and put a pair of headphones on. A few minutes later Sam walked in and the guys started getting ready so she headed downstairs to wait for them in the lobby. A few men that walked by looked her way with raised brow's but the aura she had set around herself at the moment and the look on her face said "Don't even try it buddy."

When the brothers came down she wasn't surprised to see them dressed in their usual t-shirts, button ups and jackets. "Well, you guys are dressed to kill." Maria said as she stood up.

"No, that would be you. Any man who walks by you is gonna have a frigging heart attack." Dean said sarcastically.

"Oh," Maria put her fingertips over her mouth and looked around as if in shock, "so that's why there's three dead guys over there?" she pointed across the room and the brothers actually looked. She just shook her head and walked out to her car.

Without waiting for them to catch up she climbed into her car and drove to the street that Richie said the bar was located on. The strip of street was littered with casinos, bars and strip clubs. When she got out of her car and looked around she realized that she would fit in like a pea in a pod. She was actually dressed modest compared to the other women. It didn't take her long to find the bar that Richie said Trotter sat at every night. She went in and took a seat at the bar. Five minutes later Richie found her. "Hey, baby, how's it goin?" he asked as he slid over to prop his elbow up on the bar and look at her with a smile.

"Richie, Richie, Richie." Maria tisked sweetly. "If you call me baby one more time I might just have to choose which bone in your body I want to break." She smiled through her harsh words and he backed off.

"Richie hey, look at you." Dean said as he walked over with Sam not too far behind. "Bringing satin back." Dean said taking in Richie's choice of shirt.

"Oh, you like this? Try Thai silk. Canal street. You have to pay three hundred dollars for threads like these, easy. Of coarse to me, forget about it." Richie said and they all just looked at him.

Sam had a grin on his face. "How much is forget about it?"

"Ah, forget about it." Richie waved him off and looked across the room. "That's Trotter over there." They all looked across the room at the bald man in a black suit. "He sits there all night, can't touch him.

"So what do we do now?" Sam asked and Maria turned her eyes back to Trotter and started listening to his head.

"I don't know about you guys, but I'm gonna do a little investigating with that bartender." Dean's voice pulled her out of the guys head to follow Dean's eyes to the ass of a black headed bartender who was stretching onto her tiptoes to put a bottle on the top shelf. Dean didn't notice the small glare she sent him.

"Easy," they all turned their eyes to Richie, "Me and her, we got a little somethin'-somethin' lined up for later." He said as he rubbed the palms of his hands together.

"Yeah right." Dean said not impressed as he turned his eyes back to the bartender.

"Stings don't it?" Richie asked making Maria bust out laughing. "Alright, I gotta hit the head. Release the hostages." Maria stopped laughing at his rudeness and turned her attention back to Trotter. So far his head was full of money and greed, but no thoughts that would suggest anything demonic. Plus his head just didn't have a demon feel to it. She pressed the back of her hand to her nose and it came away clean. _Huh, that's odd. My nose usually bleeds when I read peoples minds. Demon or no demon._ She thought.

"Look at her." Dean's praising voice hit her ears and she turned her eyes to the woman he was talking about. "You could fit that ass on a nickel." She was about to expand herself into the woman's head, but someone speaking to them stopped her.

"You think so?" the words came from the pastor. Dean started laughing, apologizing for his vulgar words. "Knew you kids would find your way here. They all do." The pastor smiled at them. Sam, as nicely as he could asked him what he was doing in the bar. "Like it or not, you go where your flock is." The priest smiled.

"Plus the clergy drinks for free." The bartender that Dean had been talking about walked over and refilled the priest's drink.

"True." The priest replied. "And a certain bartender owes me a confession." Was it just Maria, or did it sound like the priest was flirting with a woman that was young enough to be his daughter?

"Not in this lifetime Father." The bartender replied and Maria just shook her head.

"I better see your butt on Sunday." The priest told her before he stood up and looked at Dean. "Nickel or no nickel." The look on the mans face was enough to make her skin crawl.

"What can I get you boys?" the bartender asked.

"I'll have a Jake on the rocks." Maria piped up really needing a drink.

"I'm sorry, I was talking to the boys here." The bartender looked at her through squinted eyes. Maria had never wanted to slap a hoe more than she had right then. The woman looked back and Dean. "So what's it gonna be?"

"What's your specialty?" he asked.

"I make a mean hurricane." The way the woman was looking at Dean through her eyelashes and using an overly soft voice was enough to make Maria sick.

Dean just smirked back in his flirting manner. "I guess we'll have to see about that."

The bartender smiled at him and walked off to make his drink. The guys started talking, but Maria blocked them out and started to project herself into the woman's mind. "Hey." Sam's rushed word pulled Maria back and she turned to see the guys as they hurried over to a man. Maria flinched when the gun went off and a guy standing on the other side of a pool table fell to the ground. Dean jumped into the guy with the gun just in time to keep him from shooting himself.

If she could have she would have read the guys mind and told Sam and Dean if he was a demon or not, but as it was Sam splashed the guy in the face with holy water to find that nothing happened. It seemed that, the people in this town were just simply crazy.

As it turned out, Reggie, the man with the gun, shot the man because he had slept with Reggie's wife. Sam told the bartender to call 911 and she did. The place had mostly cleared out by the time to cops got there, but the three of them sat at the bar. "Too many cops here, I say we bolt." Sam said, but Maria just kept staring across the room where the bartender was talking to the cops.

"Just be cool." Dean said looking at his brother then across him where Maria sat beside Sam. "Poor jerk. The only thing possessing him was a sixer of Pabst."

"About that." Maria spoke up getting the guys attention. "I have information that might come in handy. Trotter isn't possessed. I read his mind."

"So what's the deal then?" Sam asked and Maria just shrugged.

"I don't know. Maybe it is just what it is. A town full of scumbags." Dean said looking at his brother across his shoulder.

"You can say that again." Maria scoffed to herself.

"What was that?" Dean asked knowing she said something, but not hearing what it was.

"Nothing." She sighed.

"You boy's ready for your mug shots?" the police officer asked as he walked over and gave them a smile. "Photographer's gonna be here in a few and take your picture for the local paper." He explained before he looked at Maria. "You can be in it too if you want." She just shook her head no.

"It'd be and honor officer, what a thrill." Dean laughed and the officer walked away.

"Yep, time to go." Sam said and they all stood to walk out, but Maria stopped them.

"Hey, wait a second. Where's your girlfriend?" she asked Dean who gave her a mean look before looking around the place.

"Better question, where's Richie?" he sighed, remembering that Richie told him that he and the bartender were planning on getting together. "Well I be damned." Dean said looking between Sam and Maria with astonishment on his face.

Maria busted out laughing. "She was easy, Dean, anyone could have gotten her." She walked past him with a smile on her face. As soon as she was out of the bar and away from Dean the smiled fell from her face. Dean was really getting to her, but she hoped she was getting to him too. She knew now that he was the reason she had gotten so dressed up.

Her heels clopped against the side walk as she headed to her car. The hair on the back of her neck stood on end as the feeling of being watched crept across her skin. She stopped and turned to see a man headed towards her. His dark complexion was easily noticeable in the street lamps that lined the walk. She just watched him until he was a few feet away from her and his blue eyes came into focus. "Hey, Baby." He smiled at her while looking her up and down. "How much for the night?" She scoffed at him and rolled her eyes before walking away. "Hey!" he yelled as he caught up to her and grabbed her ass causing her to turn around. He grabbed her arm to pull her into him.

But she jerked her arm from his grip and grabbed his. She gripped his wrist and twisted his arm around behind his back. Two seconds later she had his face pressed against the lamp pole. "First of all, don't call me baby." She hissed down at him. "And second, if you ever grab another woman's ass without her permission, or assume that a woman is a prostitute just because of the way she is dressed again…" she paused and moved her face closer to his as she gave his arm a painful twist. "I swear it'll be the last thing you do."

The guy was breathing hard as he stared back at her and she shoved him harder against the pole before walking away. "You crazy bitch!" the guy yelled and when she turned to look at him again he was running in the opposite direction.

"Yeah…I know…" she sighed as she headed to her car a few feet away. When she got inside she placed her hands on the steering wheel and rested her head on them with a sigh. She just sat there, breathing slowly in and out. The exercise did noting to calm the swirling emotions inside her. When she was convinced that she could look at Dean without punching him for being right about her appearance, she cranked the car and headed to the hotel.

She opened the hotel room door to see Dean laying on a, yet again, vibrating bed while Sam sat at the table eating pizza and looking over papers. "Help yourself." Sam said motioning to both the pizza box and the papers. She passed on the pizza and disappeared into the bathroom with her bag in hand. When she came out her hair was down, her makeup was gone and she was dressed in a pair of black yoga pants and a white tank top. _That looks better._ Dean thought to himself.

When she looked at the clock beside Dean's vibrating head, she realized it was past one in the morning. So she flopped down onto her cot and pulled the thick hotel covers over herself. She fell asleep to the sound of Dean's bed.

Half of the next day was spent doing useless research until they all gave up and headed to the bar for a late lunch. Sam and Dean sat across from each other at a small square table while Maria sat at their sides. They each had a bottle of beer sitting in front of them. Maria and Dean had a burger in front of them. Maria took bites of her burger and fries as she played a game on her phone to distract herself from the man sitting to her right.

"You do realize there's red meat within striking distance right?" Sam asked as he sat three more bottles onto the table making Maria realize that Dean was glued to his phone, something she had never seen from him before.

"How many times do I gotta tell Richie he's gonna get himself in trouble?" Dean closed his phone and held it in his fist at his mouth in worried thought.

"Dean, you're assuming he's missing." Sam said to his brother.

"Yeah, maybe he saw that we were on the case and figured we could take it from here. He might have just decided to bail." Maria chipped in with a shrug before she took a bite of a fry.

"He's a moron. I mean he's a sweet moron, but he's not a coward. He wouldn't just bail." Dean said with a look down at his untouched food. "I gotta go find him." Dean tucked his phone into his pocket and started to grab his coat.

"Alright. Meanwhile, I think I'm gonna trail this trotter guy." Sam said with a look around the bar.

"But, why? I told you, he's not a demon. Trust me, I can tell. My nose didn't even bleed when I read him. It was like reading a three year olds head, simple and easy." Maria said with a shrug, not understanding why Sam was wanting to trail him.

"I don't know. Somethin' about the way he looked at me last night. Maybe there's something more going on here." Sam and Dean gave each other a nod as they stood up and looked at Maria. "What are you goin' to do?" Sam asked and she looked back and forth between the two.

Something about the way Dean looked at her made her look back to Sam. "I'll trail Trotter with you, maybe I missed something." She stood and drained her beer before following Sam out. Since Sam and Dean were going different directions Sam was riding with Maria. It was the first time he had been in her car. She smiled at the look on his face when he got in and looked around. The interior was just as he expected it to be. Original and in excellent condition. But he laughed when his eyes landed on the stuffed Chihuahua that sat on the dash holding a sign that said: free tacos. "Is that a Taco Bell Chihuahua?" he asked through a laugh.

"Yeah, my moms idea of a dash ornament." She sighed as she looked at the sad faded thing. "It's practically glued there or I would have taken it off ages ago."

"I like it." She glanced over at him with a smirk on her face as she pulled out of the parking lot. "It gives the car personality." She just shook her head at him when he booped the stuffed dog on the nose. It was quiet for a while as they found Trotter and started discreetly following him. "Hey, you said your nose didn't bleed when you read Trotter's mind?"

Maria hummed out a positive answer, not looking at him.

"Why do you think that is?"

"I don't know, Sam. I mean I don't even know why I can still read people at all. And I _really_ don't know why or even if I'm getting better at it." She looked across her shoulder at him before turning her eyes back at the road. "Are you still having dreams?" she asked and he shook his head.

They slowed to a stop at the curb and watched as Trotter parked in front of a brick office building and disappeared inside. She killed the car and they started quietly following him. The door wasn't locked and there were no security cameras so they let themselves in. They had walked past a vending machine and had their backs pressed to the wall when Sam's phone started ringing.

"Dean, Yeah, hey, I can't talk right now." Sam whispered while Maria gave him a look and quietly shushed him. "Yeah, we're fine. Just, uh, Meet us at the bar in 20 minutes okay?" Sam quickly shut his phone as they disappeared into a room across the hallway. They waited there for a few minutes with Maria reading Trotter's mind the whole time.

When the men left she kept her mind locked with his as she Sam made their way into the office and started looking around. They only had a minute to look around before she herd Trotter thinking about how he had left something in his office. "Sam, he's coming back." She said as quick as she could. Sam cursed and slammed the door shut. "We don't have time to leave." They both looked around in panic, trying to think of a way to get out of this without too much damage. "Quick, kiss me." She whispered as she hopped up to sit on the desk.

"What?" he asked with a crinkled up face that suggested she was crazy.

"Just do it." She rushed as she grabbed his shirt and pulled him to her.

Not feeling as if he had any other choice, Sam kissed her. He wrapped his arms around her waist as she wrapped her legs around him. Just in time, they looked like a couple of kids who where about to have fun on a desk. "What are you two doing in here?" Trotter asked and Sam, playing his part perfectly, stopped kissing her and turned to the two men. The look on his face resembled that of a kid who was caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

Maria's face blushed a deep red and she hid her face behind Sam. "We were just…um…" Sam stuttered.

"I've always wanted to…you know… on a desk." Maria spoke up quietly, like a shy teenage girl, as she hopped down off of the desk and acted as if she was hiding behind Sam. "Please don't call the cops. We really meant no harm."

"We'll just uh… be leaving now." Sam said with an awkward smile as they backed out of the door. Once they were out of the building they got back in the car where it felt safe. They shared an awkward look before she cranked the car and headed back to the bar.

It took a whole minute before the awkwardness of it all got to Maria and she finally spoke. "Do you know how bad I want to read you're mind right now?"

To her surprise Sam chuckled. "No, but I'm kinda thankful you can't." she didn't reply. "You still can't read my mind can you?" he asked.

"Why do you ask? Do you have something to hide Sammy?" she asked teasingly with a raised brow.

"Don't call me Sammy." He said good heartedly and she smiled. "And what if I do have something to hide?"

They just smirked at each other. "You think I'm a good kisser don't you?" she asked with a grin that he returned as his cheeks took on the lightest tone of red. "Come on, admit it Sam. There's nothing wrong with enjoying a spontaneous, innocent kiss." She coaxed, wondering if he actually enjoyed what happened. She did. There were no fireworks, nothing like the way Dean made her feel, but it wasn't bad either.

Sam just looked at her with a straight face. "I will if you will."

She leaned slightly away from him as she looked at him across her shoulder, her brows raised. "Sam Winchester has a cocky side?" She said with a shocked smile at him. "That's a new development." She said as they pulled up to the bar and went inside.

Sam and Maria waited around the bar for another thirty minutes before they started to realize that Dean wasn't coming. "You look tense." Maria heard the prostitute that had been eyeing up Sam the whole time say. She smiled when Sam looked around wondering if the woman was talking to him. "You know…I know a sure-fire way to relax."

"Save your sales pitch." Maria said as she slid up beside Sam and wrapped her arm around his shoulders. "He's taken." The woman rolled her eyes as the two moved further down the bar.

"Excuse me?" Sam said getting the male bartenders attention. "Um, you remember the guy we were here with last night? We sat right here. Um…" Sam explained.

"The big hero who jumped Reggie." The guy said.

"Yeah, yeah. The…the big hero, right." Sam reluctantly agreed. "Um, have you seen him around at all today?"

"Maybe, depends." He said making Maria sigh and scratch her head.

"Depends on what?" Sam asked. The guy just smiled. "Oh my- Does everyone around here have their hand out?" Sam asked before he sighed and handed him a twenty.

"He left with Casey about and hour ago." The guy said.

Maria sighed as if she was really pissed off and she was. "Do you know where they went?" she asked as she drummed her short, bitten, nails impatiently on the desk.

"Her place, for bible study." The man smarted off.

"Would you happen to have an address?" she asked with an attitude.

"What's wrong with you-?"

"What's wrong with me?" Maria cut the guy off. "My boyfriend is cheating on me. I think I have the right to go kick his ass." She heard the hooker at the end of the bar make a disgusted sound. Maria turned to her with a glare before she turned back to the bartender. "Please, do you have her address or not?"

Sam just looked at her as he held up another twenty to the man. "Corner of Piermont and Clinton. Have fun." The guy gave them a look before he walked away.

Sam and Maria walked around the woman's house. It looked as if a tornado had went through it. Clothes, shoes and underwear were everywhere. "This woman is clearly not a housekeeper." Maria whispered at the same time Sam stepped on a piggy house shoe.

She opened a closet door and when she closed it her hand came away coated in a yellow powder. "Hey." Sam said and she turned to him with her hand held up. "Sulfur?" he asked and she nodded her head.

"I knew I should have invaded that bitches head." Maria said getting a odd look from Sam. "Okay, they obviously aren't here. Let's head back to the bar. See if we can figure something else out." Maria said as she headed to the door. "You got plenty of twentys?" she asked and he just shook his head.

Sam called Bobby and left him a message. He hung up as he made his way over to the bar. "They weren't there." He said after getting the bartender's attention.

"Well, I guess you'll just have to punish your boyfriend later then." Maria felt like punching the guy. "Here." The guy turned and grabbed a bottle of alcohol. "Why don't you both have a drink, and relax?"

"I don't want to relax. I want to find my boyfriend." Maria practically yelled.

"What is it with the people in this town?" Sam followed up.

"Suit yourself, ya bunch of princesses." The guy took the shot before he turned away from them.

When Maria turned around her eyes landed on the pastor. She didn't say anything to Sam before she walked over to him. "Father?" she asked, getting his attention. "Can we take a minute or two of your time?" she asked with a forced smile.

"Yes, take a seat." The father offered and they both sat.

"So the uh, the bartender the other night, Casey. You know her pretty well?" Sam asked.

"Since she was in pigtails." He confirmed.

"Well, um, she and my brother, they, uh…" Sam stumbled over his words "They left tonight….together."

"Ahh. Well, not that I aprove, but they are consenting adults." The priest said and Maria chose to cut in.

"Well, he's my boyfriend and uh…well, you can probably guess why I want to find him." Maria cut in with a shy smile. "We went to Casey's apartment and they weren't there. So do you know of anywhere else they might be?" The priest gave her a look that asked if she was going to kill Dean or Casey if they found them. "I swear, I just want to talk to him." She said holding her hands palm out reassuringly.

"There is a place. Let me get my jacket." The father said and Sam tried to reassure him that they had this under control.

"Son, if Casey really is sleeping with a taken man then someone needs to give her a good talking to. I'd rather that person be me. The priest grabbed his coat and they headed out.

"So you said this guy was your brother? I thought you were insurance investigators." The priest struck up a conversation.

"Right, well, we are. Um, it's like a, like a family business. You know?" Sam lied badly.

"Do you enjoy the work?" he asked.

"Yeah, I like being able to help people." Sam answered truthfully.

As the conversation between Sam and the priest carried on certain things the priest was saying and asking stuck her as odd. So she projected herself into his head. Her nose instantly started bleeding and she found his head more difficult to enter compared to Trotter or a normal mind. She pressed her shirt sleeve to her nose and texted Sam one handed. HE'S A DEMON. She pressed send and two seconds later Sam's phone vibrated.

He red the text, looked at her, then closed his phone. They kept up appearances, made it look as if they knew nothing. When they got to the house Sam acted like he knew nothing and stared banging on the door. Maria stayed with the demon when Sam ran around the house, following Dean's voice. Maria started whispering the exorcism, but the demon caught on and made a motion with his hand, throwing her into the nearest gargoyle statue.

Pain shot through every limb of her body, and when she looked up her eyes landed on Bobby as he tried to shoot the demon in the head, but missed. He too was thrown into a statue. Sam made a move to throw holy water on him, but he was thrown into the windshield of a car. With the three of them down, the demon priest kicked open the door to the house.

Maria pushed herself from the ground as Sam ran over to Bobby. "Bobby, you alright?" Sam asked Bobby before he looked over at Maria who was making her way toward them. "Maria, you okay?" he asked her and she nodded. "How did you know where we-?"

Bobby passed Sam the colt. "Go."

"You heard the man." Sam and Maria turned to look at Bobby's car to see Ruby. "Go."

Neither of them hesitated to run into the house after the priest. When they got to the basement they found the priest holding Dean up by his neck. "Don't kill him, let's just go." Casey said with her hand on the priest's arm. "Please." She begged, but the priest didn't let go until Sam shot him in the shoulder, avoiding Dean.

Dean fell to the ground, his eyes landing on Sam who trained his sights on Casey. "Sam, wait!" Dean yelled but it was too late. Sam had already shot her in the chest. It was the first time Maria had seen the colt in action. The way the demons bodies flashed, revealing the skeletal system within their flesh, was amazing, yet terrifying.

They both just stared at Sam, taking in the strange look he had on his face. Neither of them knew what to think.

The next morning they all stood on the sidewalk outside the hotel, saying their goodbyes and such. "See you later Bobby." Maria said as she watched grumpy ole Bobby head over to his car.

"Bye Maria." He almost smiled at her before he turned to the guys. "See ya boys." He gave them a nod and then he was gone.

"So, Mia," Dean said getting her attention, "You still with us or are you gonna bail again?"

She sighed and bit her lip as she looked at the ground. "I'm with you guys." She said as she looked up at him. "I'm not going anywhere." She pulled her keys out of her pocket and they all headed to their cars. She opened her door, then remembered her and Sam's conversation after Trotter's office. "Oh, and Sam." She said getting his attention where he was about to get into the Impala that was parked in front of her car. "I admit it, it was pretty damn good." She said with almost a shy smirk.

He laughed as he looked at the ground and a tiny bit of pink rose to his cheeks. "Back at you."

"Nu uh uh huh." She said as she pointed a finger at him with a full on smile. "You have to say it."

He sighed and looked at the ground before he looked at her again. "Fine. I admit that you…were enjoyable."

She beamed at him before she turned her eyes on Dean who had been observing the exchange. The look on his face made her bust out laughing. "What are you two talking about?"

"Trust me, you don't want to know." Sam said with a smiled before he ducked into the car. Dean looked at her for answers, but she just shrugged. If she would have read his mind, she would have found out that he was now jealous of his baby brother. That was something that had never happened before.


	11. Chapter 11

**Sleeping With The Ally**

**Disclaimer:** See chapter one.

**Chapter 11**: **Fresh Blood.**

It had been three months since Ohio and things were still a bit icy between Maria and Dean. Maria had caught Sam sneaking out to go make a deal with a crossroads demon, and when she couldn't stop him from going, she made him let her tag along. Of coarse when Dean found out that she went with Sam he was pissed. She still hadn't gotten any type of sign from him that let her know he had forgiven her for that.

On top of Sam shooting the crossroads demon the three of them had worked a case involving a ghost ship and the ghost captain. Unfortunately the three of them ended up having to save Bella from said captain. Maria wasn't particularly excited about saving her, and if Maria had no conscience then Bella would be dead right now. But as it was the horrid woman was still walking the earth.

Now the three of them were in a room with a blond vampire who was passed out and tied to a chair. "Would you just shut up and let me bandage your arm." Maria said to Dean as she pulled a roll of gauze out of her backpack. "Was it really necessary to cut yourself?"

"You always carry around gauze and medical supplies?" he asked avoiding her question as he reluctantly held out his arm to her.

She cut off a strip as long as the slash mark on his left arm and covered it before she started rolling the gauze around it. "I do when hunting vampires." She quipped before she cut the gauze with her pocket knife with one hand then held the end of the gauze in place as she dug around in the bag for tape. Once she found it Dean helped her tear off a piece. "Thanks." She said as she taped it in place.

"No. Thank you." Dean said sarcastically as he pulled down his shirtsleeve.

"Excuse me for warding off infection. Besides, the less she can smell it when she wakes up the more information we're gonna get out of her." Maria argued as she shoved her things back into the backpack then threw it over her shoulders. "Hey, she waking up."

The three of them surrounded the woman. When she woke up she looked straight at Dean. "You with us?" he leaned down and yelled making her jump and try to get away. "Oh, yeah. Sorry, you're not going anywhere." He said as he stood up straight again.

They started questioning her, trying to figure out where her nest was, but the more they questioned her the more they figured out that there really was no nest. This blond was living up to the stereotype. "I took something. I'm freaking out. I don't know what's going on." She begged as she tried to get out of her restraints.

"You took something?" Sam asked, clearly not believing her.

"Yes. I can't come down." She said, her eyes bouncing between the three of them. "I just wanna come down."

"What's your name?" Sam asked as if it really mattered.

"Lucy." She answered looking at Sam. "Please, just let me go." She begged.

"Alright. Lucy, how about this?" Sam was leaning down to be eye level with her. "If you tell us what happened…we'll let you go?"

"You will?" The woman said with a questioning look at Maria and Dean. Dean gave Lucy the most fake nod and smile Maria had ever seen from him before she gave Lucy a hum of agreement. "Uh…I don't really…um." She stumbled, trying to figure out what it was that the three of them wanted to know. "I was at spider."

"Spider?" Maria and Dean asked at the same time.

"The club, on Jefferson. And there was this guy, he was buying me drinks." She explained.

"What did the guy look like?" Maria asked as she moved to sit cross-legged on the floor.

"Uh, he was old, like, thirty." Maria smiled at her comment while wondering when thirty started being considered old. "He had brown hair, a leather jacket. Deacon or Dixon or something. He said he was a dealer, he had something for me."

"Something?" Dean asked as he started circling her, studying her.

"Something new." Lucy elaborated. "Better than anything you ever tried. He put a few drops in my drink."

"This drug," Maria stood and got the girls attention. "did it almost look like blood?" the girl nodded. "That's just awesome." Maria sighed and took a few steps back as Dean moved to stand in front of her.

"Well, genius move there." Dean looked at Sam who was shaking his head in awe. "That was vampire blood."

"What?" the woman asked like he was crazy.

"Yeah you just took a big, steaming shot of the nastiest virus out there." Dean replied.

"You're crazy, he gave me roofies or something." She looked at Sam thinking he might understand. "The next thing I knew we're at his place and he says he's gonna get me something to eat, just wait. But I get so…hungry." She said still looking at Sam.

"So you busted out?" he asked and she nodded.

"But it won't wear off…what ever he gave me…" she almost cried to the three of them.

Maria sighed and tucked her hands into her pockets.

"Lights too bright? Sunshine hurts your skin?" Dean asked.

"Yeah. And smells. And I can _hear_ blood pumping."

"Well, I hate to tell you this, sweetheart, bout your blood's never pumping again." Dean said and she shook her head.

"Not mine, your's." everyone just stared at her. "I can hear a heart beating from half a block away. I just want it to stop." Maria, Sam and Dean all just looked at each other. There was only one way to make it all stop, they knew that, but they didn't know how to tell Lucy.

"Alright," Dean sighed as he leaned down to look at her "Listen to me, Wavy Gravy. It's not going to stop. You've already killed two people, almost three." Lucy started denying it, claiming that she was hallucinating. "You killed them. We've been following a sloppy trail of corpses. And it leads straight to you."

"No, it wasn't real. It was the drug. Please." She cried looking at them all. "Please you have to help me." The three of them walked away so they could talk privately.

"Poor girl." Sam sighed.

"Yeah, but there's only one way to help her." Maria sighed as she ran a and through her hair, aggravated.

"We don't have a choice." Dean said as he looked at Sam, silently asking him if he wanted to be the one to behead her. Sam shook his head no, so Dean looked at Maria. She surprised Dean when she nodded and held her hand out for his machete. "You sure?" he asked and she nodded so he handed her the blade.

"No, Please." The woman begged when she saw that Maria had the machete in her hand. Lucy screamed when she saw Maria raise it up. A split second later the thud of Lucy's head hitting the ground echoed around the room.

* * *

They went to club spider later that night to try and find this Deacon/Dixon guy, but they came up empty handed. "That was a big fat waist of time." Dean complained as they left the club.

"Look," Sam sighed, "three blonds have gone missing, including Lucy. All last sighted here." Maria looked around as Sam told them things they already knew. "I'm telling you, Dean, this is the hunting ground."

"Hey guys." Maria said getting the arguing brothers attention. She pointed out a brown headed man in a leather jacket with a blond on his arm. They were headed down a dark alleyway, nothing normal or good ever happens in alleyways.

"One taste if this, you'll never be the same." The guy with a dropper in his hand said as he was about to drop some into the woman's mouth. But none ever made it in her mouth because Dean grabbed the man's arm and punched him.

Maria got the woman's attention. "Go. Get out of here. Now." She turned the woman by her shoulders and shoved her in the direction they had came from. When she turned back around, she saw Dean get thrown into the wall of a brick building. She and Sam both headed over to him and helped him up.

"I'm good, come on." They all took of running after the vampire guy. But when they ran around the second corner they came face to face with the man who had held Sam hostage at Black Rock, Kubrick, and another man who she had never seen before. The men pulled guns so the three of them ran. Thankfully there were a few cars for them to duck behind as they made their way to a dumpster that they hid behind. "Alright, you two run, I'll draw them off."

"What?" Sam asked.

"Dean, are you freakin' insane?" Maria asked, but he ignored both of them and took off running. She tried to run after him, but Sam caught her by her shirt collar and pulled her back.

"Are you trying to get yourself killed too?" he asked her with a stern face.

"Since when do you care? I thought you wanted me dead."

"Whatever, come on." He said and they took off running.

* * *

They waited around the motel room for two hours waiting for Dean. During that time Sam filled Maria in on who Gordon, the other man who was shooting at them, was. "There you are." Sam jumped up when the door finally opened and Dean walked in.

"Yeah, sorry. I stopped for a slice." He said as he patted his stomach then started taking off his coat.

"Nice move you pulled back there, Dean, running right at the weapons." Sam said as he followed his brother to the back of the room where Maria sat on an old couch. Her arms were crossed over her chest and her eyes were glairing.

"Well what can I say? I'm a bad ass." Dean smiled at his brother. _No, you're a freakin' dumb ass._ Maria thought, but she kept her mouth shut and remained silent. "So I guess Gordon's out of jail." Dean changed the subject.

"Uh, yeah, I guess so. You know, how the hell did he know were to find us?" Sam asked.

Dean thought for a second before realization too over his face. "That bitch." He took out his cell phone and dialed a number. "Hi Bella. Question for you. You called me yesterday. It wasn't to thank me for saving your ass, was it?" he was quiet for a second as he looked around the room in thought. "Excuse me?" he asked with raised brows. "I don't know. Maybe pick up the phone and tell us that a raging psychopath was dropping by?" Dean practically yelled into the phone. "He tried to kill us!" Dean's eyes landed on Maria for a split second, but when he saw the way she was looking at him with anger in her eyes, he turned away. "There were two of them. Bella if we make it out of this alive the first thing I'm gonna do is kill you. Listen to my voice and tell me if I'm serious." The look on his face was even more somber than the tone of his voice. He stared at the ground as he hung up on Bella.

Maria stood without a word to Sam or Dean and disappeared through the door at the back of the room that connected to the next room over. She plopped onto an old mattress with a sigh. Why did Dean have to be so reckless? You would think that a man with a limited amount of time to live would want to live it out, to the fullest, but no. Dean kept putting himself into the path of death over and over again and it was getting to, not only Sam, but Maria too. After a while she went to the door and opened it so see Sam and Dean sitting at a table. She cleared her throat to get their attention. "Dean, can I talk to you for a minute?" she asked and he sat down the machete that he was sharpening to give her his full attention. "Alone?" she elaborated.

He sighed but got up and followed her into her room. "What do you want? I know you well enough by now to know that when you want talk alone it's never something good." He stopped walking and turned to look at her.

"Why do you insist on trying to get yourself killed?" she asked getting straight to the point. Dean just sighed and let he head fall forward. "Come on, Dean. Are you really that tired of me, of Sam that you're willing to send yourself down stairs early?" she asked moving her hands around in the air elaborately. Dean looked up at her, but still didn't say anything. "Fine, don't tell me. But it has to stop. Sam, Bobby…Me." She said unsure of how he was going to react to her including herself. "We all care too much about you to see you cut your time short."

They just stared at each other for a minute. "Are you done?" he asked and she nodded. "Do you feel better?" he asked, his arms folded over his chest as he looked at her with squinted eyes. "Did you vent enough or do you want to keep goin'?" she rolled her eyes at him and was about to tell him to go screw himself, but his phone started ringing. "What?" Dean answered angrily. "You're a hundred miles away how the hell did you-? And? Thanks." Dean hung up and looked at her. The look on his face had changed from angry and sarcastic to stunned and confused.

"What did she say?" Maria asked knowing from the muffled voice she could hear on the other end of the phone that it was Bella.

Dean jerked his head toward his and Sam's room. "I just got a call from Bella." Dean announced making Sam looked at him, confused. "Apparently she doesn't like me wanting to kill her."

"So?" Sam asked.

"So she located Gordon for us. Supposedly he is in a two story warehouse on riverfront with a neon sign outside of it." Dean explained.

"Well, that was nice of her." Maria said with her arms crossed over her chest. "Too nice if you ask me."

"Yeah, well, she also said that the spirit that told her all of this told her to give me a message."

"Yeah, and what message was that? Don't listen to Bella?" Maria asked and Sam smirked.

"Leave town, run like hell and whatever we do don't go after Gordon."

"So what should we do?" Sam asked and Maria looked at him in thought.

_We go after Gordon, because if we don't go after him now he will just keep hunting us._ Maria thought.

"We go after him." Dean echoed her thought.

* * *

They held their weapons at the ready as they made their way down the stairs that led to the basement of the warehouse. When they got to the bottom their eyes landed on the vamp from the alleyway. He was on his knees facing the back wall where two women where hanging by their hands with their heads cut off. The three hunters held their guns on the man. Dean got their attention and tucked his gun into his jeans then picked up a knife that was on the table next to him. They started closing in on him. "Go ahead. Do it. Kill me." The pleading in the mans voice made Maria falter and look back and forth between the men.

"You want to tell us what happened here?" she asked the back of man's head.

"Gordon…Walker." The vamp said as he looked at them over his shoulder. "I never should have brought a hunter here." The vampire stood and turned to them. "Never. I just…I just wanted some kind of revenge. So stupid, exposing him to my family."

"Oh, Yeah, you're such a family man." Dean taunted and Maria felt like telling him to shut up and have a little compassion.

The guy just looked at Dean. He glanced at Maria as she made her way around him to examine the hanging bodies. "You don't understand."

"I don't wanna understand you, you-" Dean said but The vamp interrupted him.

"I was desperate. Have you ever felt desperate? I've lost everyone I ever loved." Maria never even thought about that fact that a monster could feel love. "I'm staring down eternity alone. Can you think of a worse hell?" the guy asked and Maria's eyes snapped from the bodies in front of her to look at Dean's hard face.

"Well, there's hell." Dean answered with a flat, hard face.

"I wasn't thinking, I just…I didn't care anymore. Do you know what that's like?" when the guy asked Dean this question Maria and Sam looked at each other. They now understood that maybe this was the reason Dean had been trying to get himself killed. He simply didn't care anymore. "When you just don't give a damn? It's like…It's like being dead already. So just go ahead. Do it." When Maria turned her eyes to Dean, the look on his face confirmed her suspicion. He looked so…guarded. Like he would give anything to shut this man up so he could go back to pretending like what the vamp was saying, wasn't true.

Maria cleared her throat of the emotions that were stuck there. "Hey, Dean." She tried to get his attention, but he didn't look at her.

"Dean." Sam said and his brother looked at him. "Head wasn't cut off, it was ripped off. With someone's bare hands."

"Dixon?" Maria said as she walked, with her gun still trained on him, to stand next to Dean. "Will you tell us what you did to Gordon?" Despite the gun being held on him, everything about her radiated understanding.

Dixon looked up at her with tear filled eyes and just shook his head. "I changed him."

She sighed and shook her head as she moved with her gun still on him to stand next to Dean. "Why don't you take this one." She said with a glance across her shoulder at him.

He nodded and in the blink of an eye he took a step forward and sliced Dixon's head off.

* * *

Most of the next day was spent searching for Gordon. They all went in different directions an all came up empty handed. Dean was the last one to give up and come back to the motel. "Man I must have checked three dozen motels, empty buildings, warehouses." Dean said as he walked in and tossed his jacket.

"Yep, same here." Maria commented.

"It's a big city." Sam, who was looking over maps of the city, added.

"It's like a giant haystack and Gordon's the deadly needle." Dean said as he washed his face at the bathroom sink. "We're running out of daylight. Without the sun slowing him down-"

"Yeah, he'll be unstoppable." Sam finished for him and Maria agreed. "Hey, guys, give me your phones?"

"Why?" Maria, who was playing on hers, asked.

"Well, if Gordon knows our cell numbers he can use the cell signal to track us down." Sam said as he took his phone out of his pocket, took off the battery and took the sim card out.

"Oh, yeah. Nice." Dean said as he willingly gave Sam his phone.

Maria on the other hand held her pink razor out to Sam, but when he tried to take it she didn't let go. He just sighed and looked at her. "Fine, destroy her if you must." She sighed as she let it go.

Sam just took the battery off of her phone, removed the sim card and placed it in a pile with his and Dean's. With all the cards out on the table, Sam started stomping the phones.

"You to stay here." Dean said as he walked over to his bag and grabbed the colt and its bullets.

"What? Where are you goin' now?" Sam asked and Maria stood from where she was sitting on the bar of the kitchenette.

"I'm going after Gordon." Dean said as he sat down and started loading the gun.

"Dean, you're not going alone." Maria said as she slid her hands into her pockets.

"What, are you my mommy now? I don't need you to sign me a permission slip." He said sarcastically. "He's after Sam, not me and he's turbocharged. I need you to stay here incase Gordon finds this place."

"Dean you're not goin' by yourself. You're gonna get yourself killed." Sam said as he towered over his brother.

"It's just another day at the office. A massively dangerous day at the office" Dean joked and Maria rolled her eyes.

"So, what, you're the guy with nothing to lose now huh? Oh, wait let me guess. Because, uh… it's because you're already dead."

"If the shoe fits." Dean's evasiveness was starting to get on their nerves.

"You knew what man, I'm sick and tired of your stupid kamikaze trip." Sam said and Maria decided to take a step back and let the brothers do what they did best. Argue.

"Whoa, whoa. Kamikaze?" Dean asked looking like he was about to finally take his brother serious. "I'm more like a ninja." Maria sighed and face palmed.

"That's not funny." Sam stated.

"It's a little funny. Was that not funny?" Dean asked as he looked past his brother at Maria.

"It's not funny, Dean." Maria answered with a hard face.

"What you want me to do guys, huh? Sit around all day, writing sad poems about how I'm gonna die?" he said as he stood and moved to grab a notepad.. "You know what? I've got one. What rhymes with "shut up Sam"?"

"Dude," Sam knocked the notebook out of Dean's hands "Drop the attitude, Dean. Quit turning everything into a punch line." Dean just looked at Sam while Maria observed it all. "and you know something else? Stop trying to act like you're not afraid."

"I'm not."

"You're lying." Sam interrupted. "And you may as well drop it because we can see right through you."

"You've got no idea what you're talking about." Dean said as he moved toward the door.

"Yeah I do. Your scared, Dean." Dean looked back at his brother. "You're scared because your year's running out and you're still going to hell and you're freaked."

"And how do you know that?" Dean challenged.

"Because I know you!" Sam yelled.

"Really?"

"Yeah, because I've been following you my entire life. I mean, I've been looking up to you since I was 4, Dean." Dean's face finally changed from the hard, unemotional look he had been giving them. "Studying you, trying to be just like my big brother. So yeah, I know you. Better than anyone else in the entire world." Dean just looked at Sam, understanding for the first time what effect he really had on Sam throughout their lives. "And this? This is exactly how you act when you're terrified." Dean nodded and looked at the ground. "And, I mean, I can't blame you." Dean looked up at Maria before he moved his eyes back to his brother. "It's just…"

"What?" Dean asked wanting to know what Sam had to say.

"It's just, I wish you would drop the show and be my brother again. 'casue… just because." Sam finished.

Dean looked around like he was trying not to cry. "Alright, we'll hole up. Cover our scent so he can't track us, wait the night out here." Maria turned her back on them and pretended to be messing around with some herbs that were sitting on the counter, but really she was trying to get herself together. Sam had finally gotten his brother to see that they needed Dean. He had gotten Dean to not put himself in harms way and Maria didn't know how to thank him for that because she felt like it wasn't her place to.

Once she had taken a few breaths and calmed herself she turned to see Dean placing a bed frame against the door to keep it from being opened. So she brought the bundle of herbs over to Sam and he started burning them. When the room was cleansed they sat around waiting, doing nothing, and Maria was bored. "Okay, we need to go get new cell phones." She said with a sigh as she looked at the guys. "I'm board."

_I have a way to entertain you._ Dean didn't voice his thought, but instead he stood up and grabbed his coat. "Okay, come on." He gave her a wave that said for her to follow him.

She smiled and grabbed her black leather jacket off of the back of her chair. Since the door to the brothers room was blocked, they left through her room. When the door between rooms was shut she grabbed his hand, stopping his pursuit of the front door. He stopped and looked down at her hand in his. "What are you-?" he started to ask, but was cut off when she threw her arms around his shoulders, hugging him. When she pulled back their eyes caught each others. "What was that for?" he asked.

She rocked back and forth on her feet. "You just looked like you needed one." She turned from him and headed to the door. But he grabbed her hand and pulled her back into him. His arms wrapped around her waist and his lips caught hers. One of her hands rested on his shoulder while the other slid up his neck into his short hair. Their lips moved as one as the kiss deepened, then softened then ended all together.

"What was that for?" she asked as she tried to catch her breath.

He just smirked at her and started walking to the door. "You looked like you needed it." He replied with humor in his voice as he opened the door then turned back to looked at her. "You comin' or not?"

She just smiled and shook her head at him as she walked past the door he was holding opened and they got into her car.

* * *

Maria was sitting in a crappy old chair in the hotel playing on her new pink razor when Deans phone started ringing. "You've had that phone two hours, Dean. Who'd you give the number to?" Sam asked as he walked over from the window he had been looking out of.

"Nobody." Dean replied as he pulled the phone out of his pocket and answered it. "Hello?" Dean looked at Sam and Maria with a look on his face that told them that it was Gordon. "How'd you get this number?" he asked still looking at Maria. "Well I guess you'll just have to find us, won't you? What's the matter Gord-o?" he asked and Maria smirked at the name Dean called him. "You're not afraid of us, are you? We're just sitting here. Bring it on." Suddenly Dean's face turned from cocky to startled. "Gordon, let the girl go. Gordon! Don't do this!" Dean looked at the ground as he pleaded with Gordon. "You don't kill innocent people, you're still a hunter." Dean hung up the phone then turned to them. "He's got a girl held up in a factory on riverside. We've gotta go stop him or he'll kill her."

Sam and Maria sighed, but started gathering their things.

Ten minutes later they arrived at the factory. Each had both a gun and machete on them, but Dean was also equipped with the colt. They roamed the factory, each keeping an eye on the others backs. As they walked around a tall metal shelf they saw the woman, tied to a pole. Sam and Dean put their guns away and helped the woman while Maria kept her guard and her gun up, watching every direction.

Maria trailed behind Dean as he led the way with the woman in his arms. Out of nowhere a door was dropped, cutting Sam off from them. "Sam!" Dean shouted as they all banged on the big door.

"Dean!" Sam called as they all kicked at the door hoping it would give in, but nothing happened.

"Damn it Sam!" Dean yelled from the other side. "Sam be careful!" he yelled and Maria pressed her forehead to the door with a sigh. She should have known this was a plan to get to Sam. He was the one Gordon wanted after all. Dean started beating at the pulley system hoping to get the door up, but Maria knew there was nothing they could do to get to Sam. Gordon was a hunter and knew everything a hunter could and would do to get inside.

So she went to the woman who was passed out and kneeled down to swipe the woman's strawberry blond hair to the side. "Hey. You have to wake up okay?" she spoke gently, but when the woman woke up she lunged at Maria with razor sharp teeth protruding from her mouth. Maria screamed and tried to hold her off. She was reaching for her machete, but before she could get to it a gun was fired and the woman's dead weight fell onto Maria, the body flashing with orange light.

Dean grabbed the dead woman and pulled her off of Maria then grabbed Marias hand and pulled her up. "You alright?" he asked, panting from his exertions on the pulleys.

"Yeah." She nodded and dusted of her jeans.

"Come on, lets see if we can find another way in." Dean suggested, just needing something to do. So they circled around to the back of the room, hoping to find another entrance. Instead when they got around to the back, Sam and Gordon came busting through the wall to land on the ground. When the two stood up Gordon threw Sam into a shelf then turned to Dean, who was about to shoot him, and knocked the gun onto the ground then punched him.

Gordon picked Dean up and shoved him into the wall and when Maria saw him go for Dean's neck she lunged at him with her machete raised. But Gordon could smell her coming and send her flying with the swing of an arm. She tried to get back to Gordon, but Sam beat her to him. He elbowed him in the back, starting the fight that resulted in Sam being sent running toward a table where he used quick thinking and a small hatchet to cut off a piece of razor wire. Gordon grabbed him and slammed his face into another table before Sam managed to wrap the wire around Gordon's neck. He pulled it tight until Gordon's head fell to the ground with a wet thud.

Maria ran to Dean and kneeled beside him, pressing the collar of his shirt to the bite on his neck as she threw his arm around her shoulder helping him stand up. They all just looked at each other before the started to walk away. "You just charged a super-vamped-out Gordon with no weapon." Dean said, still holding onto Maria. "That's a little reckless, don't you think?" Dean asked Sam who just looked at him and shook his head.

* * *

The next day Maria laid in the backseat of the Impala playing on her phone while Sam and Dean sat outside the car that was parked on a random back road, with hers parked right behind it. She didn't mind the song by Bad Company that Dean had playing on the radio. "Here you go." She heard Sam say to Dean where he stood working on the car. "Maria, you want one?" Sam asked through the open window, but she declined. "Figure out what's making that rattle?" he asked his brother.

"Not yet." She heard Deans muffled reply. "Give me a box wrench, would you?" he asked and Sam leaned forward and grabbed a wrench. "Sam." Dean said getting his brother attention and Sam asked if he handed him the wrong one. "No, no, no. Come here for a second." Sam got up and joined his brother at the hood of the car. "This rattle could be a couple of things. I'm thinking it's an out of tune carb."

Maria put her phone down and started listening to the conversation. "Okay," Sam said not understanding why his brother was telling him this.

"Alright, see this thing? It's a valve cover." Dean sounded like he was a school teacher giving a lesson. "Inside are all the parts that are on the head. Give me that socket wrench." Sam handed him the wrench. "Alright, you with me so far?"

"Yeah, uh, valve cover covers the heads." Sam repeated back.

"Very good. Now, this is your intake manifold, okay?" Dean instructed. Maria didn't know much about cars. She usually took hers to trusted mechanics that her mother used. So she would have loved to be outside the impala learning about the inner workings of it. But she knew this was time that Dean needed with his brother. "On top of it…?"

"It's a…a carburetor?" Sam guessed.

"Carburetor. Very good."

"What's with the auto shop?" Sam asked as Dean stood up and handed the socket wrench to Sam. "What you don't mean you want-?"

"Yeah, I do." Dean looked at Sam who was shocked. "You fix it."

"Dean, you barely let me drive this thing." Sam said with a smile in his voice.

"Na, it's time. You should know how to fix it." Dean looked up from the socket wrench to his brother. "You're gonna need to know these things for the future." There was a quiet moment between them before Sam took the wrench. "Besides, it's my job, right? Showing my little brother the ropes." He said before Sam started working on the car.

Maria had sat up to get her ear closer to the conversation and when Dean slid the ice chest around and sat on it, his eyes found her. She gave him a small smile, glad that he was being a big brother to Sam again. He winked back at her and took a sip of his beer. "Put your shoulder into it." She just laughed at Dean, taunting his little brother, the way he should.


	12. Chapter 12

**Sleeping With The Ally**

**Disclaimer:** See ch.1

**Chapter 12**: **A Very Supernatural Christmas**

Maria and Dean stood on the doorstep of a cookie cutter house while Sam looked around inside. "Thanks for letting me have a look around Mrs. Walsh. We uh, got just about everything we need. We're all set." Sam said and Dean assured her that they would be in touch before they all started walking away.

"Agents." The blond said getting their attention. "The police said my husband might've been kidnapped."

"He very well could have been." Maria spoke up.

"Then why haven't the kidnappers called?" the woman asked "Or demanded a ransom? It's three days until Christmas. What am I supposed to tell our daughter?" Maria hadn't even realized that Christmas was that close.

Maria's hand went to her chest to play with the locket her mother hand given her. "We're all so very sorry ma'am." She said before they left the woman behind.

"So, did you find anything?" Dean asked his brother.

"Stockings, mistletoe, this." Sam dropped something into Dean's hand.

"A tooth?" Maria asked.

"Where was this?" Dean asked.

"In the chimney." Sam replied answering Dean's question.

"A chimney, no way a man fits up a chimney…it's too narrow." Dean said still holding the tooth in his hand.

"Going up in several pieces would make more sense." Maria added.

"Okay, so if the dad went up the chimney-" Dean started.

"Then we need to find what dragged him up there." Sam finished and Maria just shook her head.

"So, my guess is serial killing chimney sweep." Dean said as they got into the impala.

"No way." Maria countered. "It's totally evil Santa." Dean looked at her like she was stupid. "What? The old man manages to fit a bag full of toys and not to mention his bowl full of jelly down a chimney, why not a body?" she asked and the boys just shook their heads at her.

* * *

Later that day Sam and Maria sat in the motel room doing research while Dean went out for groceries. She jumped when the door to their room swung open and Dean walked in with a large brown paper bag in his hands. "So was I right? Is it the serial killing chimney sweep?" he asked as he sat the bag down on the small square dining table.

"Yep, it's actually Dick Van Dyke." Sam said looking up from his computer.

"Who?" Dean asked looking confused.

"Mary Poppins."

"Who's that?" Dean asked.

"Oh, come on." Sam said unbelievably before he sighed. "Never mind.

"So it turns out that Walsh was the second guy grabbed out of his house this morning." Dean said as he walked further into the room.

"Oh yeah?" Maria asked looking up from her cell phone. "Did he get dragged up the chimney too?"

"Don't know. Witnesses said they heard a thump on the roof." Dean answered and as she looked back and forth between the two brothers she realized they were making the same face with the corners of their mouth pulled down to make an upside down u. "So what the hell do you think we're dealing with?"

"Evil Santa." Maria said and Dean started laughing. "I'm serious." Dean just looked at her like she was crazy. "Sam, fill him in." Maria made a motion for Sam to start talking.

"There's some version of the Anti-Claus in every culture." Sam picked up some papers and Dean walked over to see. "You've got Belsnickel, Krampus, Black Peter. Whatever you want to call it, there's all sorts of lore."

"Saying what?" Dean asked with a look at Maria.

"Saying, back in the day, Santa's brother went rogue." Sam explained and Dean moved his eyes from Maria, to the pictures then to Sam. "And now he shows up around Christmas time, but instead of bring presents, he punishes the wicked."

"By hauling their ass up chimneys?" Dean asked.

"For starters, yeah." Sam replied.

"So this is y'all's theory, huh? Santa's shady brother?" Dean asked with a look at Maria. "Did you put him up to this?" he asked Maria who smiled, but shook her head no.

"That's really what the lore says." Sam defended.

"Santa doesn't have a brother. There is no Santa." Dean said.

Maria shushed him. "Dean, there's a child in the room." She said motioning to Sam who rolled his eyes.

"No, trust me I know there's no Santa. Dean's the one who told me he never existed." Sam explained. "Remember?" he asked his brother. Dean just stayed quiet. "You know what I'm probably wrong." Sam slammed his laptop and sat back on the couch. "I gotta be wrong."

"Maybe, maybe not." Dean said looking like he had an idea.

"What?" both Sam and Maria asked as Maria grabbed the grocery bag off of the table and started pulling out things to make dinner.

"I did a little digging. Turns out both victims visited the same place before they got snatched." Dean said and Maria glanced at him over her shoulder before she grabbed a skillet out from under the cabinet and placed it on the stove. Sam asked where they had went. "Santa's village."

"Are you serious?" Sam asked and Dean just nodded his head.

"Huh." Maria turned from the kitchenette to look at both of them. "Well, we can go there in the morning, but tonight? You boys are going to get a home cooked meal." they just smiled at her as she turned back to the hamburger meat that was sizzling in the skillet.

Forty minutes later the meal was cooked and three bowls of it sat on the table. "What is this?" Dean asked as he sat down and looked into the bowl with a disgusted looking face.

"Goulash and cornbread." She answered as if it should have been obvious.

"It…looks like it's still alive." Sam said as he poked at it with his fork.

"Yeah, I thought someone with as good a taste in food as you would know how to cook." Dean said not looking at the food, but at her with raised brows. "What's in it?" he asked.

"You know what's in it. You bought the ingredients." She said shocked that neither of them would even tasted it.

"Humor me." Sam asked, the disgusted look still on his face.

"Shells and cheese, rotel tomatoes, hamburger meat and ranch style beans." She said, ticking each of the ingredients off on her fingers. "Would you just shut up and try it?" she asked getting aggravated with them.

Dean being the brave one picked up his fork, scooped up a little bit and put it in his mouth. His face changed to an approving one and Maria smiled. "It's safe, Sam." He said looking at his brother who just raised his brows at him. "Actually, it's pretty damn good." He said looking back at Maria. "Where did you learn to cook this?" he asked.

Her face fell for a second before she looked back up at him with a small smirk. "My mom, it was her best dish and because it was so cheep to make, my brother and I got to eat it all the time." She explained as she watched Sam take a bite then anther and another.

They ended up eating the whole pot and all but one piece of the cornbread. "You're welcome to make that again anytime you want." Sam said as he plopped down on his bed and place a hand on his stomach. She just looked at him and shook her head.

"Get up." Dean said to his brother as he walked over to lay on the other bed.

"What? Why?" Sam asked as he sat up to give Dean a confused look.

"Mia made us supper." He said as if that was the obvious answer. "She slept on the cot last time and I slept on it the time before that. So the cot's yours." Dean explained before glancing up at Mia.

Sam made a face that reminded her of a kicked puppy. "Dean, it's not a big deal. Sam can have the bed if he wants it." She said moving to make up the cot.

But Sam got up and took the sheets out of her hands. "Dean's right. You can have the bed." He said as he jerked his head at the bed he had just gotten out of.

"Thanks guys." She sighed as she flopped back onto the bed from the foot of it.

* * *

Santa's village was old and run down, but busy none the less. Loud cheery Christmas music played all around the place as children skipped from shop to shop alongside their parents. Sam looked off put, but Maria smiled as she looked around at the children and elves that ran around the village. "It does kind of lend credence to the theory don't it?" Dean asked as they walked through the gates.

"Yeah, but Anti-Claus? It couldn't be." Sam scoffed.

"It's a Christmas Miracle." Dean said with his hands in his pockets like his brother, but Maria booped a metal reindeer on the nose as they walked past. "Speaking of, we should have one this year." Dean said with a glance at his brother.

"Have one what?" Sam asked unenthused, while Maria smiled at Dean. She had been hoping that the brothers were into Christmas. Her family had been. It was the reason that a Christmas tree was kept in her trunk at all times.

"A Christmas." Dean clarified.

"Ha." Sam laughed. "No thanks." Maria was disappointed at his answer.

"No, we'll get a tree…" Dean started.

"I already have a tree." She peeked around Dean at Sam.

"You do?" Sam asked with a unbelieving face.

"I do. It was my mothers." She explained and Dean smiled at her before looking back at his brother.

"See, the tree's already covered. Now all we need is a little Boston Market and it'll be just like when we were little."

Sam, still uninterested, just looked at his brother. "Dean, those weren't exactly hallmark memories for me. You know."

"What are you talkin about. We had some great Christmases." Dean argued. _Here we go. More arguing._ Maria thought to herself, but kept her mouth shut.

"Who's childhood are _you_ talkin about?" Sam asked.

"Aw come on Sam." Dean started, but Sam interrupted him.

"No, just…no." Sam gave his final opinion on the subject.

"Alright Grinch." Dean scoffed before he walked away.

Maria just gave Sam a sad look before walking away to catch up with Dean. "Hey." She caught up to him and he returned her greeting. "So what were you're Christmas's like growing up?" she asked and he just glanced at her.

"Sam was right back there. Our Christmas's weren't hallmark card moments." He sighed and thumped a giant, illuminated, plastic Santa's hat. "Dad was rarely there for any of them. We never had presents and our dinner was always mac and cheese, if we even had that." He scratched the back of his head and turned to her with another sigh and a stressed look. "What were your's like?" She looked down at the ground and kicked the dust. How could she tell him that the Christmas's she had with her family were some of her happiest memories. "That bad huh?"

She simply shrugged and left it at that as they made their way around the village taking in every least elf and stocking. They eventually found their way back to Sam. "You'd think for the ten bucks it costs to get in this place, Santa could scrounge up a little snow." Dean complained and Maria just shook her head.

"What?" Sam asked looking like he had just come out of a daze of some sort.

"Nothing. What are we lookin' for again?" Dean asked Sam, but Maria answered.

"If I remember correctly lore had it that evil Santa walks with a limp, and smells like candy or other sweet stuff." She said as they all started walking.

"Great, we're looking for pimp Santa." Dean said. "Why the sweets?"

"Think about it. If you smell like candy, the kids will come closer, you know?"

"Yeah…That's not creepy at all." She drawled sarcastically.

"Yeah." Dean agreed. "How's this thing know who's been naughty and who's been nice?" Dean asked.

Sam and Maria both said that they didn't know. They all watched as the man dressed as Santa who was sitting on a big red thrown pulled a little boy into his lap. "Yeah, if I ever have a kid, there's no way he's going to go to an outlet mall Santa. Especially not one who looks like that." Maria pointed out.

"Dean looked at her across his shoulder. "I didn't know you were a kids person." He looked genuinely surprised.

"Maybe some day, you know, if I ever get out of the hunting life and settle down." She said with a shrug as she turned her eyes back to the fake Santa.

"Welcome to Santa's court." A woman dressed as an elf walked over to them with a smile. "May I escort your child to Santa?"

"No, no, but actually, my brother here, it's been a lifelong dream of his." Maria laughed as Dean patted Sam on the back.

"Sorry. No kids over 12." The woman said with a disgusted face making Dean smirk even more.

"No, he's just kidding. We only came here to watch." Sam said making things even more creepy than they already were. The woman looked at both of the men looking grossed out before she walked away. "I didn't mean that we came here to w- y-" Sam stopped talking and turned to his brother. "Thanks a lot Dean. Thanks for that."

Dean and Maria both laughed. "Hey, check it out." Dean said as he nodded to Santa who had stood up and left his thrown. He was groaning and walking with a limp. "Are you seeing this?" Dean asked unbelievingly.

"A lot of people walk with limps right?" Sam asked.

"Tell me you didn't smell that. That was candy." Dean argued.

"That was ripple. I think. Had to be." Sam said before all three of them turned to watch Santa walk away.

"Maybe. But are we willing to take that chance?" Dean asked with a look at his brother before he turned to Maria, who shook her head no.

* * *

&amp;&amp;later that night&amp;&amp;

"What time is it?" Dean asked with a yawn.

"Same as last time you asked." Sam replied and Maria handed him the thermos of coffee. "Here, caffeinate." He handed Dean the container.

He unscrewed the lid and tried to poor some only to find that it was empty. "Wonderful." He sighed as he sat the container aside. "Hey Sam." Dean said getting his brothers attention. "Why are you the boy that hates Christmas?"

"Dean." Sam whined and Maria shifted uncomfortably in the back seat.

"I mean, I admit it. We had a few bumpy holidays when we were kids."

"Bumpy?" Sam asked but Dean kept on talking.

"But that was then. We'll do it right this year." He encouraged.

"Look, Dean, if you and Maria want to have Christmas knock yourselves out. Just don't involve me."

"Oh yeah. That would be great. Me and Mia making cranberry molds." Dean said and Maria scoffed in the backseat. "No offense Mia, but Christmas isn't Christmas without my brother." Dean said having heard her response.

"Trust me, I understand." She assured him and he looked over the seat at her with an apologetic look on his face. "Hey, look." She pointed out the first bit of movement from inside evil Santa's house. The old man looked around outside before he closed the curtains.

"What's up with Saint Nicotine?" Dean asked right before they heard the sound of a woman's scream.

All three of them grabbed their guns and jumped out of the car to run up to the door of the run down trailer house. "Huh." Sam whispered as if remembering something, as they stopped at the door.

"What?" Dean and Maria asked at the same time.

"It's just that uh… Well you know, Mr. and Mrs. gung-ho Christmas might have to blow away Santa." Sam said making both Maria and Dean roll their eyes.

Dean opened the door letting himself and his partners inside startling Santa. The man stood up with a bong in his hands and the three hunters hid their weapons behind their back. "What the hell are you doin' here huh?" Santa asked.

"I uh..we…" the boys stumbled around for words or explanation. "Silent night." Dean started to sing uncomfortably and out of tune as he nudged Maria.

"Holy night." Her sweet, feminine voice covered up the boys bad singing as Sam joined in. "All is calm…all is bright." Maria noticed that Sam and Dean were stumbling around with the lyrics a bit, but she turned her attention to the man who sat down in his nasty looking chair with a dopey looking smile on his face. "Round yon virgin mother and child." Sam grabbed Dean's arm and started pulling him out of the house. So Dean grabbed Maria and pulled her out as they all kept singing. "Holy infant so tender and mild. Sleep in heavenly piece, sleep in heavenly piece." Maria stopped singing when the door was shut completely.

None of them took a breath until they were back inside the car and on their way to the motel. "How do you two not know the words to silent night?" She asked not understanding how it was possible to not know the lyrics to such an old song. She didn't get an answer from either of them.

* * *

The next morning Sam woke up and checked the paper to find that another man had gone missing. "You're not coming with us?" Sam asked when he saw Maria walk out of the bathroom in a pair if ripped jeans and a gray long sleeved knit sweater.

"No, you guys can handle it." She said nonchalantly making them both wonder what was going on. "Can I talk to you alone?" she asked Sam, but didn't wait for him to answer before she grabbed him by the sleeve of his suit and pulled him outside.

"What's going on with you?" Sam asked as he stumbled to a stop on the sidewalk outside.

"Okay, you obviously hate Christmas, I get that, but Dean really wants to have one. And it's his last one, Sam. So if you don't want to have Christmas with us, that's fine, but I fully intend to surprise him with decorations and gifts and even a turkey if I can get my hands on one this late in the season." Maria said breathing hard from her rant.

Sam looked at her like she was crazy. "So I assume you're going shopping instead of doing your job?" he asked with raised brows and a look that suggested that she was being stupid.

"My mother was a firm believer in setting the job aside to spend a little bit of quality time alone with your family." Sam rolled his eyes and started nodding. "You and Dean are the closest thing I have to family now. So I'm going to throw a Christmas rather you like it or not. Dean deserves it. Hell you deserve it too. To have one last, good holiday with your bother."

"No I don't." Maria took a step back at Sam's angry tone. "I don't want to have to fake a happy Christmas when he isn't going to be here for the next one. I can't sit around pretending everything's going to be okay while sipping eggnog and singing Christmas carols." Maria could look at him and tell that he was trying hard to be strong and not cry.

So she did the only thing she could think of and wrapped her arms around his waist and laid her face on his chest. He lightly hugged her back before she pulled away and look him in the face. "Okay, I won't do Christmas, but…" Sam rolled his eyes with a sigh and motioned for her to keep talking. "Can I at least get you guys a present? You don't have to get me anything in return. You can just consider it a thank you for putting up with my annoying ass." She pleaded and Sam nodded. She smiled and gave him a quick hug. "Thank you." She said with a smile at him as she got in her car and drove off.

* * *

When she was done shopping she pulled Sam and Dean's gifts out of her back seat along with a roll of wrapping paper, scotch tape and gift boxes. Once the gifts were boxed and wrapped she placed them neatly in her trunk, except for Deans, then stashed away the decorations she had bought just incase Sam changed his mind.

"Hey guys I…" she trailed off when she stepped into the room and saw that both Sam and Dean were fast asleep. So she sighed and placed the precooked turkey she had found in the grocery store bakery and Deans present that was hidden in a paper bag in the icebox then left the canned goods on the kitchen counter. As she laid down that night she looked over at Dean where he was quietly snoring with his mouth slightly agape, she hoped she could give him everything he wanted for his last Christmas, including Sam joining them for it. She fell asleep with Dean and Sam on her mind.

* * *

The next morning the guys filled her in on the meadowsweet wreaths that had been at each of the crime scenes and the woman that was said to have made them. Cheery music played as they walked up to the two story white house with Christmas decorations littering the front lawn. "So this is where Mrs. Wreath lives, huh?" Dean asked as the three of them walked up to the door. The sign above the door read, "The Carrigan's". "Boy, can't you just feel the evil, pagan vibe?" he asked sarcastically. Sam just rolled his eyes and knocked on the door.

"Yes?" an older woman wearing a white Christmas sweater opened the door.

"Please tell me you're the Madge Carrigan who makes the meadowsweet wreathes." Dean said.

"Why, yes I am." Maria already didn't like this woman and her cheery overrated Christmas sweaters and over the top all around cheeriness. Being happy was one thing, but there was such a thing as too happy.

"Yeah?" Sam asked. "We were just admiring your wreaths at Mr. Silar's place the other day."

"You were?" the woman asked looking pleasantly shocked. "Isn't that meadowsweet just the finest smelling thing you ever smelled?" she asked making Maria inwardly cringe at the woman's vocabulary.

"By golly it is." Maria piped up making fun of the woman with and overly cheery tone to her voice and Dean turned to look at her as if she was crazy.

"You see the problem is that all your wreaths have sold out before we got the change to buy one." Sam cut Maria off.

"Oh, fudge." Madge said as if she were shocked.

"You wouldn't happen to have another one that we could by from you would you?" Dean asked.

"Oh, no. I'm afraid those were to only ones I have for this season." She apologized.

"Tell me something, why did you decide to make them out of meadowsweet?" Dean asked.

"Why, the smell of coarse." Madge's way of talking was making Maria feel like punching her. "I don't think I've ever smelled anything finer."

"What's going on honey?" a man joined Madge at the door.

"Well, just some nice kids asking about my wreaths, Dear."

"Oh, the wreaths are fine. Fine wreaths." These people were like a couple from a sixties movie. "Oh. Care for some peanut brittle?" the man asked as he held out a tin.

Dean reached for a piece, but Sam swatted his hand away. "We're okay." Sam said before they said their goodbyes and walked away.

"Something is wrong with those two. No one is really that happy and…pod like." Maria said with a wrinkled faced look at the house.

"But I thought you were Mrs. Pro Christmas." Sam said with a smirk at her from the back seat.

"I am. I believe in Christmas spirit, but that's a bit much. Did you see the inside of their house. They must have a whole storage building to hold all of that junk." Dean agreed with her while Sam just laughed.

* * *

"Ha. You were right." Sam said from where he sat at his computer in the motel room. "Something _was_ way off with those two."

"Really, what did you find?" Maria asked as she dropped the piece of evergreen that she had been sharpening into a stake.

"They lived in Seattle last year where two abductions took place right around Christmas. They moved here in January. All that Christmas crap in their house. That wasn't boughs of holly, it was vervain and mint."

"Pagan stuff?" Dean asked with a crinkled brow.

"Serious pagan stuff." Sam confirmed.

"So what? Ozzie and Harriett are keeping a pagan god hidden underneath their plastic covered couch?" Dean asked.

"I don't know. All I know is, we gotta check them out." Sam said with a look up at Maria where she stood looking over his shoulder at the computer screen.

"And Bobby is sure that these evergreen stakes are going to kill this stupid god?" Maria asked as she moved back to pick up the stake she had been working on.

"Yep, he's sure." Dean said as he stared at the sharp end on his stake before he tossed it with the others.

* * *

The Carrigans lawn was lit up with bright, twinkling Christmas lights and music still played as they made their way to the front door and let themselves inside. Sam handed them each a stake once the door was shut behind them. "See, plastic." Dean said as they made their way into the couples living room. They each roamed around the house taking in the humdrum of Christmas decorations.

"Hey guys." Sam said from the kitchen, getting their attention. When they met up with him, they saw that he had found the door to the basement. When they got downstairs the first thing their eyes landed on was a stainless steel bowl of bones and flesh. Maria shined her flashlight around taking in the blood that covered the hand rail of the stairs and the floor where bones were scattered about. She walked with Dean to the back of the room where they found a bag on the floor that was soaked in blood.

It felt like she and Dean jumped ten feet into the air when they heard muffled screams coming from the other side of the room where Sam was at. They both turned to see that Madge was holding Sam in the air by his neck. "Sam!" they both yelled as they tried to get to him, but the male god grabbed Dean and slammed him into a wall, knocking him out.

Maria raised her stake to stab the man, but with one swing of his arm she was sent flying into the wall. She fell to the ground hard, knocking the breath out of her and the man picked her up by her neck. He stared at her as she gasped for breath and clawed at his hand with both of hers. With a calm look on his face, he slammed her head into the wall until she too, was out. Sam was the last to go when Madge knocked him out.

Maria awoke to the smell of baked goods and holiday scented candles. "Dean, you okay?" She heard Sam ask and she looked around noticing that they were all tied to chairs. Sam and Dean were back to back and her chair was situated between them so that her back was to their shoulders.

"Yeah, I think so. Mia, you okay?" Dean asked and she hummed a positive answer.

"So I guess we're dealing with Mr. and Mrs. God." Sam observed with a voice that lacked enthusiasm. "Nice to know."

**A/N: **Just a reminder that reviews are highly welcomed. Constructive criticism is welcomed.


	13. Chapter 13

**Sleeping With The Ally**

**Disclaimer:** See chapter one.

**Chapter 13**: **A Very Supernatural Christmas Continued.**

"Oh." Maria heard Madge's overly cheerful voice and struggled to get out of her chair to punch her. "And here we thought you three lazybones were gonna sleep straight through all the fun stuff. Ha-ha." She patted Maria's hand as she walked by. "Calm down dear, you'll hurt yourself." Maria spit at her shoes. "We'll…that's not very ladylike is it?" Dean laughed at the thought of Mia ever being considered ladylike.

"Neither is killing people." Maria hissed at the woman who just ignored her.

"Why would we sleep and miss all this?" Dean spoke up. "We're partiers." he joked sarcastically.

"Well isn't he a kick in the pants, honey?" Madge's husband Edward asked as he circled around them. "You're hunters, is what you are."

"No duh dipstick." Maria said under her breath receiving a nasty look from Madge.

"Yeah, and you're pagan gods." Dean added. "So why don't we call it even and go our separate ways?"

"What, so you can bring back more hunters and kill us? I don't think so." Edward took the pipe out of his mouth to talk as he stood near his wife.

"Maybe you should have thought about that before you went snacking on humans then huh?" Sam said speaking for the first time since the gods had walked in.

"Oh now, don't get all wet." Edward said.

"Oh, why, we used to take over a hundred tributes a year." Madge started walking around the kitchen as she tied her apron about herself. "And that's a fact." She started laying napkins in their laps like they were about to have dinner instead of be it. "Now what do we take? What, two, three?" she asked her husband.

"The Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew here make six." Maria stared up at Edward with a scowl on her face.

"Now that's not so bad is it?" the woman asked making Maria and the boys rolled their eyes.

"Well, you say it like that I guess you guys are the Cunningham's." Dean quipped.

"You mister, better show us a little respect." Edward said taking the pipe out of his mouth again.

"Or what?" Sam asked.

"Oo oo, my turn to guess." Maria spoke up pretending to be excited. "Oh, are you going to eat us?" she asked with an excited smile and raised brows.

"Not so fast. There's rituals to be followed first." Edward said taking her seriously and she sank back down in her seat pretending to be sad.

"Oh, we're just sticklers for ritual." Madge said with a smile at Sam before she turned to Maria. "Oh and don't you worry honey, we only eat the males."

"But don't get your hopes up, you get to die too. We can't have you coming back here could we?" Edward said as he patted her on the shoulder.

"Oh, why thank you. That's ever so freaking sweet of you." Maria smarted off with a roll of her eyes.

"You wanna know what kicks off the whole shebang?" the guy asked.

"Let me guess. Meadowsweet?" Dean asked. "Oh shucks you're all out of wreaths. I guess we'll have to cancel the sacrifice. Huh?"

"Don't be such a gloomy gus." Madge said as she pulled out two small coils of meadowsweet and put it around Sam and Deans necks. "There. Don't they just look darling?"

"Good enough to eat." Her husband answered and Maria scoffed. "Alrighty-roo, step number two."

"Oh great. You guys rhyme now?" Maria's question was ignored as Edward walked over to Sam with a knife in his hand and cut his arm making Sam yell.

"Leave him alone you son-of-a-bitch!" Dean yelled and Maria started working on getting the knife out of the holder on her wrist.

"You hear how they talk to us? To gods?" Edward said as he sat the bowl of Sam's blood on the counter. "Listen pal, back in the day, we were worshipped by millions."

"Times have changed!" Dean yelled.

Edward laughed. "Ha, tell me about it. All of a sudden this Jesus character's the hot, new thing in town. All of a sudden our alters are being burned down and we're being hunted down like common monsters." Edward ranted.

"But did we say a peep? Oh, no, no, no, we did not. Two millennium. We kept a low profile, we got jobs, a mortgage. We…what was that word, dear?" Madge asked.

"We assimilated."

"Yeah, we assimilated. Why, we play bridge on Tuesdays and Fridays. We're just like everybody else."

"You're not blending in as smooth as you think lady." Dean said before the woman sliced his arm and bled him. "Aah! You bitch!" Dean cursed at her.

"Leave them the fuck alone!" Maria yelled as she tried to break the restraints that she had quietly been hacking on.

"Oh, my goodness me. I know two kids who owe a nickel to the swear jar." Madge said still cheerily. "Oh, do you know what I say when I feel like swearing? Fudge."

"I'll try and remember that." Dean panted through his pain.

"You boys have no idea how lucky you are." Edward said as he walked around to stand in front of Sam. "There was a time when kids came from miles around just to be sitting where you are."

"You fudgin' touch me again I'll fudgin' kill ya!" Dean yelled at the woman who still held a knife in her hand. She praised him for using fudge instead of dropping the f bomb.

"Maria heard Sam screaming and his head hit her chair as he tilted it back in pain. "Oh-ho. We've got a winner." Edward said and when Maria tried to look at him she could see a fingernail in the pliers in the mans hand. "Well let's see. Fingernail, blood. Oh! Sweet Peter on a popsicle stick. I forgot the tooth." Edward laughed along with Madge.

"Merry Christmas, Sam." Dean panted. Maria was still quietly fiddling with her knife, slowing cutting the rope that held her right hand.

"Open wide and say ah." Edward said as he stuck a pair of pliers in Dean's mouth.

Out of nowhere the doorbell rang and everyone froze. "Somebody gonna get that?" Dean mumbled with the pliers still in his mouth. "You should get that." Finally the couple left and Maria started sawing faster and louder on the rope.

"Ha, finally." Maria said as the rope broke and she quickly cut the one on her other hand before she cut Sam and Dean loose.

"Mia, you're a life saver. I really didn't want to loose that tooth. I like my teeth." Dean sighed and Maria would have laughed at the look of relief and thankfulness on his face had the situation been any different.

"Yeah, me too. Now lets go." She said as they went in different directions.

Maria went with Dean and when the couple came back to the kitchen Sam and Dean shut them inside. When Dean got the door shut and they saw that there was no lock on it Maria grabbed the drawer that was next to the door and pulled it open, blocking the door from opening. With that door secured they ran to Sam and helped his keep his door closed. "What do we do now? The evergreen stakes are in the basement." Dean yelled over the noise that the gods were making.

"Well we need more evergreen, Dean." Sam said. Maria remembered the Christmas tree and ran over to it. She knocked it down and started pulling off branches. "I think someone just found us some more." The brothers started pushing a cabinet into the way of the door then ran over to help Maria with the tree. They had each gotten a branch off of the tree and stripped it clean of twigs when things suddenly got quiet.

Out of nowhere Edward jumped on Dean knocking him to the floor. Maria tried to stab Edward in the back, but he slapped her across the face knocking her backwards into the cabinet.

Sam knocked Madge across the face with his branch before stabbing her in the stomach. Edward turned and yelled for his wife. Maria took the opportunity and kicked Edward in the side, knocking him to the ground as Dean picked up his branch and started stabbing Edward. "You don't, hit, women!" Dean yelled as he stabbed Edward three times in the stomach before letting go of the limb that was still stuck in his chest.

"Merry Christmas." Sam said with a tired smile as they all stared at the dead gods.

"It's about time you grew some Christmas spirit." Maria laughed, but her smile faded when pain shot across the cheek he slapped. Dean just shook his head at her.

* * *

Maria sighed and rubbed her eyes tiredly as they all got out of the impala and headed inside. "Hey." Sam touched her arm stopping her. "Can I talk to you for a minute?" he asked and she nodded. They stood by the car and watched until Dean disappeared inside the room.

"What's up?" she asked with a yawn.

"So this, whole Christmas thing…" he started and she smiled at him. "You still planning on doing that?" he asked and she nodded her head yes. "Mind if I join and maybe, help with the decorations?" he asked.

"Of coarse." She beamed at him. "But uh, how do we get Dean out of the room to decorate?" she asked.

"Uh, I'm pretty thirsty and we don't have any beer. Most places are probably closed tonight so it might take him a while to find some." He suggested and she went with it.

* * *

An hour later she looked around the motel room at the decorations that she and Sam hastily hung around the room. The mini tree she kept in the trunk of her car sat in the corner. It was decorated with the ornaments she and her brother had made in school as kids. Some were chipped and broken while others had lost all the glitter that was once stuck to the popsicle sticks.

But along with those hung empty beer cans that Sam had found in the back floorboard of Maria's car. In her opinion , the best touch were the three, tree shaped car air fresheners that hung on the front of it.

Aside from the tree the only other decorations were the merry Christmas banner that hung on the wall and the string of lights that were intertwined with the metal half wall. The eggnog ended up being too strong thanks to Sam, but neither of them cared. The finishing touch was the presents that sat on the coffee table. Two from Maria were festively wrapped in red and white plaid paper and the other two, that Sam had bought at the local gas station, were wrapped in the comics from the local newspaper.

Maria was straightening the turkey that sat in the middle of the kitchen table when Dean walked in. "Hey, you get the beer?" Sam asked with a cup of eggnog in his hand.

Dean looked at Sam then at a smiling Maria. "What's all this?" he asked coming further into the room.

"What do you think it is? It's Christmas." Sam said motioning to the decorations.

"What made you change your mind?" Dean asked with a glance at Maria before he looked back at Sam.

"Here, try the eggnog." Sam said as he avoided the question and handed Dean a glass. "Let me know if it needs more kick."

"Dean took a drink and coughed after he managed to swallow it. "No we're good." Sam and Maria started laughing.

"Well, have a seat. Let's do Christmas stuff or whatever." Sam laughed as he took a seat and motioned Maria over from where she was putting cranberry sauce onto a saucer.

"Alright, first things first." Dean said as he grabbed a plastic bag and sat down at the coffee table. He pulled two things out that were wrapped in brown paper and held them out to Sam. "Merry Christmas, Sam."

Sam smiled and took them from him. "Where'd you get these?"

"Someplace special." Dean replied and they both just looked at him. "The gas mart down the street." Sam and Maria started laughing. "Open them up." He said with a nod to the presents.

"Great minds think alike, Dean." Sam said as he handed him his presents.

"Really?" Dean asked as he took the gifts. "Oh come on."

Sam opened his presents and started laughing when he pulled out a couple of magazines. "Skin mags!" he said excitedly, "And…" he unwrapped the other present, "Shaving cream." They all just laughed.

"You like?" Dean asked not opening his presents yet.

"Yeah, yeah." Sam said staring down at the shaving cream in his hand.

Dean opened his first newspaper rapped gift and started laughing at the jug of oil then unwrapped the candy bar. "Well, look at his. Fuel for me and fuel for my baby." Maria smiled, knowing that Dean would like Sam's gift. "These are awesome, thanks." Dean said looking down at his things. Dean put them down and grabbed his cup of eggnog. "Merry Christmas bro." he held up his cup for him and Sam to toast.

"Yeah, yeah. Merry Christmas." Sam clinked his cup with Dean's and they both took a drink. Dean had to blow out a breath because of the burn of it.

"Well." Maria said getting their attention. "I didn't shop at a gas station, but I hope ya'll will like my gifts anyways." She said as she picked up a flat, rectangle box that was wrapped in red and white plaid paper, from the table and handed it to Sam.

She watched as he neatly undid the tape from the corners and removed the paper without tearing it. When he opened the box and moved the tissue paper out of the way his eyes landed on a nice, dark brown leather laptop bag. "Whoa, Maria, this…" he said taking it out of the box and holding it up as he examined it. "This is too much. I can't except this."

"You have to, it's Christmas." She said with a smile that he returned. "Besides, you carry that laptop everywhere we go. I just figured that you needed something good to protect it."

"Well thank you." Sam sat the bag back into the tissue lined box and pulled something out from behind the couch. "Here." He handed her a box the same size that his had been, that looked like it came from a fancy clothing store.

"This doesn't look like it came from a gas station." She observed with a quizzical look at Sam.

"Yeah, that's because it's not." She and Dean just stared at him. "You remember when you talked us into stopping at that big mall a few weeks ago?" he asked and she nodded her head. "I bought it then and I've been trying to find the right time to give it to you." She didn't know what to think. "This seems as good a time as any, so open it." Sam said nervously.

She took her time opening the box and moving aside the tissue that the store wrapped it in. "Oh,…Sam." She said with a small sigh as he pulled out a black denim jacket. It looked almost like the one she used to wear all the time.

"I kinda ruined your other one when I shot you, so…" he explained with a motion to the jacket in her hands.

"I… I don't know what to say." She said as she placed it back in the box and stared down at it. "I…I love it, Sam." She sat the box aside, walked over to Sam and bent down to give him a hug. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." He said as he hugged her back.

"Well that makes my present look like crap." Dean said as she stood back up and walked over to sit back down on the couch.

"You didn't have to get me anything." Maria said as she took the brown paper bag he offered to her.

"Just open it." He said with a small eye roll at her.

So she opened the top of the bag and pulled out her presents. "Ponytail holders." She said with a smile at the bundle of brightly colored bands. She reached back into the bag and pulled out the second thing. "Friendship necklaces." A couple of circular charms hug on silver chains, one circle was pink and the other blue. "And lip gloss." She laughed as she opened the Christmas themed tube and applied the bright red glittery gloss. She gave him a smile "How does it look?" she asked before she placed her hand under her chin and puckered her lips.

"It looks good." He said and they all started laughing. _Just like I knew it would._ He didn't voice his thought for fear of looking like a sap in front of his brother.

"Here, now you open mine." She picked up his gift and handed it to him. "And I wouldn't shake it too much if I were you."

He, unlike Sam, pulled and ripped at the paper until it was all gone from the plain white box that held his gift. Then he ripped thought it and the tissue until he found his present. "Whiskey and Pie." He said with a grin that reached ear to ear as he looked down at the large cherry crisp pie and the bottle of Jim Beam. "Thank you." He said and she waved him off as if it was nothing before she stood and gave him a light kiss.

"What was that for?" he asked as she pulled back to look into his eyes.

She simply shrugged in return as she picked up her glass of eggnog and toasted them. "Merry Christmas." She said with a smile at the brothers who echoed her words before she moved to finish preparing dinner.

"Hey, Dean." She heard Sam say, but when she didn't hear anything else being said she knew the two had had a moment. "Do you feel like watching the game?" Sam asked and Dean agreed. So the tv was switched to the football game.

After a few minutes Maria announced that dinner was ready. It consisted of the precooked and seasoned turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce and black-eyed peas. They all stuffed their faces and ate way too much, just like people are supposed to do on Christmas. The boys watched the rest of the game while Maria cleaned and put away the dishes.

When she was done she walked up to where Dean was sitting on the couch and leaned down putting her head next to his. When he turned to look at her she caught his lips with hers. Sam looked over and smiled at what he saw. "Get a Room." He said as he threw a gift bow at them and they stopped kissing. Little did either of them know that she had already gotten them a room.

"There's a second part to your present." Maria said still leaning over the couch. "Do you want to see it?" she asked and Dean nodded, dumbstruck that she had just kissed him in front of Sam. She walked around the couch and held her hand out to Dean. "Come on then." He grabbed her hand and let her lead him a few door down to the room she had gotten them for the night.

"What's this all about?" Dean asked as she slid the card into the slot making the light on the door turn green. She didn't have to answer his question, because when she opened the door the condition of the room did it for her.

As they walked in his eyes scanned the place taking in the two bottles of beer sitting in a bucket of ice that was meant for wine or champagne, and the red and green scented candles that were scattered around the room giving off a cheesy, but still romantic glow. Finally his gaze landed on her where she stood with her hands folded in front of her and a smile on her face. "Do you like it?" she asked.

"Yeah, but I don't underst-"

"I love you." She interrupted him and her cheeks started glowing red. He stared at her. "I'm not expecting you to say it back or anything. I just ne-"

This time she was cut off by his lips on hers. She was surprised, but the shock quickly passed and she slid her arms up his sides to wrap around his waist. She didn't let go when he pulled back and rested his forehead on hers. "I love you too." He breathed quietly against her lips that pulled back into a smile.

"Good." She sighed as she wrapped her arms tighter around him giving him a heartfelt hug that he returned. When they let each other go she walked over to the table and opened the beer. She handed him one and he accepted it. "I'm glad you said that, but-"

"There's always a but with you." He interrupted and sat down in the chair knowing this was just the start of a long conversation.

"But I need to know how you feel about Lisa and Ben before this," she motioned between her and Dean, "can go any further." She sat down across from him.

He sat his beer down and looked at her. "What do they have to do with us?" he asked confused as to why she brought up the mother and son.

"Because I'm not the only woman that loves you, Dean. I know because I read her mind when we dropped Ben off that night." She explained as she stared at the floor instead of Dean.

"Wow, you were _that _jealous or her huh?" he asked making her look up at him.

"Me? Jealous of a beautiful, brunet, yoga instructor who had a son that looks and acts just like you?" she asked and he smirked expecting her to say that she wasn't. "You bet your sweet ass I was jealous."

"You don't have to be jealous of her. She was just a one night stand." Dean said with a shake of his head, hoping he could convince her that he had no feelings for Lisa.

"A one night stand that you might have a kid with? That you felt the need to hunt down and pay a visit to after five years?" Maria argued with raise brows.

"She's just a friend."

"Come on, Dean. I know you have feeling for her just like I know that you didn't believe her when she said that Ben wasn't yours." She was trying her best to keep her cool, but something about the way Dean was acting, being defensive, made her believe that because of Lisa and Ben, that she and Dean could never have a real relationship.

"What? Are you invading my head now?" he asked with creased brows.

"No. I promised you I wouldn't and I still haven't broken that promise. But I was in her head and I do know if Ben is yours or not." When she realized what she said and how she said it she growled at herself and leaned forward to place her forehead on the table.

"What are you wanting from me right now?" Dean asked with his beer in his aggravated raised hands.

She sighed and lifted up her head to look at him. "I'm simply asking if you want to know if Ben is yours and if we can have the relationship I want us to have for however long you have left." She said tiredly as she put her elbow on the table and propped her head up by her chin.

Dean remained quiet for a while. Did he want to know if he was a father? Did he really love Lisa? If Ben was his, what would he do with that information? Would he drop hunting and become Ben's father and a boyfriend to Lisa? Or was it safer to not know if Ben was his and forget about him and Lisa all together? After a while he decided that the life he had wanted with Lisa and Ben was never more than just a pipe dream. Something that he wanted then because he knew he was going to die and he wanted to experience the apple pie life for a little while. But he knew now that he didn't love Lisa, at least not as much as he loved Mia. And that if Ben really was his, then the kids life would probably be better without him in it, without Dean bringing danger back home to his kid.

He turned his gaze to Mia, the woman who had confessed her love for him. The woman who had been there even after he made a deal that cut his life short and the woman who had never lied to him. Yes she had ran from him, but he would have ran from her too if he thought it was best, like she did. Hell, he was going to die and she still wanted him. She just wanted to be with him as long as she could. When it came down to it, Mia was the only woman for him. It just made since to be with her. But he still wondered if Ben was his and he always would if he didn't find out now.

"Is Ben mine?" She jumped at the sudden break in the silence that had dragged on for minutes on end. She looked at him with watery eyes and nodded yes. He released a breath that he didn't know he was holding.

"I shouldn't have kept it from you, I know shouldn't have, and I'm sorry. But she apparently told you he wasn't yours for a reason and I kept telling myself that it wasn't my secret to tell but…" she stopped talking to take a breath and make herself look at him. "It just didn't feel right keeping it from you."

"Well…" he sighed and stood up as he ran his hand through his hair. "It's gonna take a while to get used to the fact that I have a son and I do love Lisa."

Maria looked down at her folded hands as a pang of hurt shot through her chest. She knew he loved Lisa, but she had hoped that his feelings for her had been stronger. "Okay." With a disappointed sigh she got up and started blowing out the candles.

But Dean walked over and gently took the candle that she was about to extinguish out of her hand and sat it back down. She couldn't make herself look at him and when he realized this he put a finger under her chin and made her. When she looked into his bright green, candle illuminated eyes she couldn't help the tear that escaped from hers. "I love her," he wiped the tear away with his thumb before resting his hand on her face, "But she's no you."

"What?" she asked, confused by his mixed signals.

"She's not the one I want." He said as he smiled down at her. "I want you. With your loud singing and your stupid country music and calling me out when I'm being an idiot. I need that, I need you."

She couldn't help the wave of laughter that swept over her body as she threw her arms around him and he caught her to spin her around the room. When he sat her down the first thing she did was punch him in the arm. "Don't do that to me you idiot!" she laughed as she wiped at the tears that slid down her cheeks. "You had me thinking that I'd lost you to her." She happily scolded.

He moved closer and wrapped his arms around her sides. "You haven't lost me. I'm right here."

She looked into his eyes and smiled. "Good, because there's more to your Christmas present than just a good smelling room and me dropping a massive bomb on you." She smiled up at him deviously before she moved to the bed and pulled a Victoria's Secret bag out from under it. Instead of giving it to him she disappeared into the bathroom.

A few minutes she came out and his mouth dropped to the floor. She just watched as his eyes scanned over her body taking in the green lace c cup bra that scantly covered her chest and the matching thong panties. But what made him start laughing out loud was the red sheer teddy that covered it. The top and bottom hems were covered with a white boa and it stopped just below her butt. What topped off the sexy Mrs. Clause outfit was the Santa hat that sat atop her head. "Nice." Dean praised with a grin. But he busted out laughing when she reached up and place a Santa hat atop his head. "You're something else, you know that?" he asked with a twinkle in his eyes.

"Yeah?" she asked and he nodded as he wrapped his arms around her. "Well, you're the one that asked for Christmas." She slid her hands up over his chest to rest on his shoulders.

"I'm not complaining." He said with a smirk as he pulled her closer into him and leaned forward catching her bottom lip with his. She couldn't help the sigh that escaped her, or the tingles that shot through every limb of her body. They both loved that with a touch as simple as a kiss they could feel things that neither of them had felt before.

When the kiss broke, she grabbed the hem of his shirt and pulled it over his head. Their eyes were locked on one another as she placed her hands on his muscular sides and slid them down to rest on the top of his jeans as he placed his hand gently on the back of her neck and pulled her in for other kiss. As he started walking them backwards to the bed, her hands started working on the buckle of his belt, then the button, then the zipper. She was about to pull them down, but that's when he chose to ease her backward onto the bed.

His hand moved up her thigh and under the sheer material to slide over her smooth stomach until he reached his lace covered destination. "Dean." She sighed at his touch. He started kneading her breast making her sigh his name again. This only fueled him in his pursuit of making her see stars. He moved his hand from her chest to slide the teddy up and over her head to be tossed onto the floor. It would have been followed by her underwear, but he was too busy staring.

She opened her eyes and saw that his eyes were locked on her body and she so baldy wanted to be able to see all of him. So she grabbed his sides and pushed him up until he was hovering over her. She used her feet to expertly push his pants and boxers down his legs until they were at his feet. He then kicked them off where they landed on the floor with a thud. They took a moment to just stare at each other, not wanting to miss a single detail of the moment, before their eyes finally met. Not being able to resist a second longer Dean captured her lips with his and playfully nipped at her bottom one.

She took the hint and opened her mouth up to him starting the battle of tongues. He won, hands down, not that she was fighting very hard. She wanted him to take her. To make her his however he wanted. When he moved from her lips to her chest then to her belly then further below she knew that she was his and would always be. He stared into her eyes as he slid the tiny amount of lace down her smooth legs and tossed them onto the floor with the teddy. The second his tongue touched her center, her back involuntarily arched and her hands gripped the thick comforter that covered the bed. "Fuck, Dean." She sighed in pure pleasure.

He stopped his actions to look up at her worried. "I do something wrong?" he asked.

She shook her head, confused as to why he thought he had done something wrong. "Absolutely not, why?" she asked as she reached down and threaded her hands into his hair.

"You dropped the F-bomb. You only do that when you're pissed."

She busted out laughing. "I'm not pissed. The F-bomb is a good thing in bed." She assured him as she slid her hand down to cup his cheek. His face suggested that he didn't believer her. "I promise. Keep going…" she ran her thumb across his plump, shiny bottom lip. "Please?" she almost begged.

He smiled at her begging before he kissed her inner thigh and kissed his way to her center again making her arch her back again. Her fingers imbedded themselves into his hair as he other hand gripped the comforter. He kept at it until he knew he was about to push her over the edge and he wasn't ready for that yet. So he stopped and kissed his way back up to her lips.

She wrapped her legs around him and rolled them over. Her lips gently, but passionately massaged his as his hands slid down her back to grip her ass. Eventually, she kissed her way to his neck. She nipped lightly at the tender skin there, pulling a hiss of pleasure from him. He liked being bitten, she knew that, and she intended to figure out where all he liked to be bitten. This is what she had on her mind as she kissed her way to his chest and bit lightly and his peck muscle, an inch away from his nipple.

His hands gripped her back as a groan of pleasure echoed around the room. When she bit again, he sat them up and kissed her as he removed her bra. Their hands roamed, feeling every inch of flesh, every taunt muscle and every pleasure spot. When they laid back down, he put himself on top and penetrated her without warning. She gasped from the sudden contact while a moan escaped him. Her hands flew up to grip his back and she pressed her face into his neck. "Mia." He panted as he started driving into her.

Just him saying his nickname for her like that almost pushed her over the brink, but when she started kissing and biting his neck again he lost all reserve. All of a sudden it was as if every limb of her body was on fire. Burning and tingling with an ecstasy that exceeded anything she had ever felt before. As the volcano that had been boiling at her center erupted, she bit his shoulder and dug her fingers into his back.

Three seconds later they both lay on their backs, panting. "Wow." She sighed as she stared up at the ceiling.

"Uh huh." Dean agreed breathlessly as he too, stared at the popcorn textured ceiling. His hand that was laying on the bed at his side slide over, searching for hers. When he found it where it lay on her stomach, he threaded his fingers through hers. Still holding his hand she turned on her side and laid her other hand on his hard chest. "What made you change your mind?" he asked with a look down at her brown hair.

"What do you mean?" she asked avoiding his question.

"I mean, you were pretty set on not being with me because I was going to die and it would make things weird between us." He asked as he turned his gaze to the black screen of the tv.

"I don't know." She propped her chin up on his chest to look at him. "I don't know if it was because you've finally accepted it, because I've accepted it, or if I just decided that it wouldn't kill me to let myself fall in love with you. I was afraid of getting attached to you, but I didn't realize that I already was."

He just hooked one of his fingers under her chin and pulled her to him for a small, light kiss. "One more question?" he said and she sighed as she motioned for him to ask away. "Did you have sex my brother while we were in Elizabethville?" the look of pure curiosity on his face made her smile.

"You didn't miss that huh?" She asked as she moved around so that she could lay her head on his chest and look at him while they talked. He gave her a look that told her to just answer the question. "We kissed." She answered and he just scratched his head before he let it rest back on to the pillow that was propped up on the headboard.

"Can I ask why and when?" he asked keeping his cool.

"Yes you can. It was when we trailed Trotter. We were in his office looking around and I heard Trotter coming back for something he forget. We didn't have time to get out so I hopped up on the desk and we made it look like we were just a couple of kids intending to get busy in an office." She explained.

"Yeah that doesn't make me feel any better." He said shaking his head no.

She sighed and reached up to place her hand on his sandpapery cheek. "I promise, it meant nothing." She said as she slid her hand down to rest on his chest.

"He told you that you were enjoyable." He said recalling Sam's words to her. "I'm supposed to ignore that?"

"Sam and I are just friends, Dean. And he's lucky we're even that considering he shot me, twice. We were just picking with each other." She explained and he let the subject drop as she moved around, pulled the comforter out from under them and cuddled into his warmth as she covered them up. She fell asleep to the sound of his heart beating in her ear as she thought about how much she was going to dread the day it would stop beating.


	14. Chapter 14

**Sleeping With The Ally**

**Disclaimer:** See chapter one.

**Chapter 14:**** Malleus Maleficarum**

"She was so scared. I couldn't help, I couldn't do anything to stop it." Mr. Dutton, the husband of a woman who died from blood loss when she mysteriously lost all of her teeth, said to Maria and Dean. They were dressed in their best suits and skirts with pads and pens in their hands. "I've talked to the police and I've talked to the medical examiner. No one can explain it."

"Well, that's why they put the call in to us, Mr. Dutton." Dean answered as he looked up from his note pad to the guys worried face.

"But the CDC, that's disease control right? What, do you think it's some kind of virus?" the guy asked worried.

Maria sent Sam who was exploring the bathroom a look and he sighed and shook his head in response. "We're not ruling out anything yet." Dean answered pulling Maria's attention back to Mr. Dutton as she expanded herself into his head. "Mr. Dutton, did Janet have any enemies?" Dean asked getting a confused look from the man. "Did anyone have any reason to hurt her?"

"Wait, what are you saying? That somebody poisoned her?" Mr. Dutton stood up looking at Dean who just shook his head with a look that told Mr. Dutton that he didn't know. "But, I mean, what kind of poison? You think a person could have done this?" Paul Dutton asked exactly what was going through his head. Maria wasn't picking up anything useful.

"Would anyone want to?" Dean asked.

"What? No, No. there's no one that could have…" Paul's mind picked up where his words left off. "_Wait…no. There's no way she could have done this. It was a meaningless fling. She wouldn't have taken it out of Janet. But, she was kind of crazy. Maybe she-"_

"Mr. Dutton?" Dean asked seeing that the guy had gotten kind of dazed.

"Uh, everyone loved Janet." Paul replied, clearly lying. Dean and Maria looked to Sam who gave them the signal that it was time to leave. "Okay. Thank you very much. I think we have everything we need. We'll get out of your way now." With those parting words they walked out of the house and into the poring rain. "That dude seem a little evasive to you?" Dean asked them.

"I don't know. I was under a sink pulling out this." Sam answered and pulled a bag out of his pocket. He dropped it into Dean's hand and they stopped walking to look at it.

"Oh, gross." "Yuck." Dean and Maria said at the same time.

"Yeah." Sam agreed. "There are bird bones, rabbits teeth, this cloth was probably cut from something Janet Dutton owned." he said pointing at the things inside.

"So we're thinking witch?" Dean asked as he handed the bag back to Sam.

"An ex girlfriend and a witch." Maria clarified getting the boys attention.

"Oh, yeah? You pick up on something back there that we didn't?" Dean asked making Maria smile at him.

"Yeah, reading minds has it's up side you know." Dean just gave her a look that told her to keep talking. "He seemed evasive because he was evasive. He neglected to tell you guys that he had an affair with a crazy chick."

"Huh, I knew there was a reason I chose to keep you around." Dean said as he threw his arm around her shoulders and kissed her wet forehead making her beam up at him.

"Well," Sam said clearing his throat to get their attention, "If this crazy ex-girlfriend is the witch then she's not some new aged wiccan water douser. This is old world black magic, guys. I mean, warts and all." Sam said as he opened the passenger door and Dean opened the back driver's side door for Maria who told him thank you.

"I hate witches." Dean said as he pointed at Sam who laughed at him. "Their always spewing their bodily fluids everywhere. It's creepy. It's downright unsanitary."

Maria laughed at Dean's rant.

"Yeah, well, someone definitely had it our for Janet Dutton." Sam said.

"Someone who snuck into that house and planted the bag. What are we thinking, looking for some craggy old Blair Bitch in the woods?" Dean asked.

"No, it could be anyone. Neighbor, coworker. That's the problem there human, just like everyone else." Sam said as he looked between Dean and Maria.

"Great, how we gonna find them?" Dean asked.

"Well, going off the whole affair with a crazy woman thing, I'm going to guess that it's an attractive woman. And I'm also going to guess that if Paul Dutton is like most other guys, then he is going to try and contact this woman. So we should follow him." Mia spoke up with what she would do if she were hunting by herself.

"Sounds like a plan." Dean said with a smile back at her before he looked to Sam to see what he thought. He just nodded his head.

* * *

Later that night they all sat in the Impala in an alleyway a few blocks down from where Paul sat in his car. "You picking up on anything Mia?" Dean asked from the front seat.

"So far he is just thinking about how much Janet loved the type of cheeseburger that he is eating." Mia said, aggravated that Paul still hadn't thought about the ex-girlfriend.

"Why is he eating a cheeseburger in his car?" Dean asked as if he had never eaten in his car before.

"He misses his wife, the house reminds him of her." Mia said feeling a little sorry for the man.

"Then maybe he shouldn't have cheated." Dean thought out loud making Maria slap his shoulder. "What?"

She was going to tell him that everyone makes mistakes, but instead she turned her gaze to the window and focused back on Paul. "Shh. I'm trying to concentrate." As soon as she was inside his head she knew that something wasn't right. "Guys he's choking. Dean, Drive!" she said getting pulled out of his head by her concern.

Dean stepped on it and before they knew it they were are Paul's car where he was on his hands and knees hacking his lungs up, so to speak. "Check the car." Dean commanded and Sam started checking under the dash while Dean and Maria saw to Paul. "Sam?" Dean yelled and Sam replied that he had found the bag.

"Come on, get up." Maria chided as she and Dean pulled Paul to standing while Sam sat fire to the hex bag that burst into pail blue flames.

"Are you alright?" Maria asked the now breathing Paul.

"What the hell is happening to me?" he asked with wide confused eyes.

"Someone murdered your wife. Now their trying to kill you that's what's happening." Dean answered.

"That's impossible. There's no way that s-" Paul started.

But Dean cut him off. "If we hadn't been following you, you'd be a doornail right now. Now, who wants you dead?"

Paul sighed and leaned against his car. "I uh-"

"Paul, we know about the affair, alright? Now what is her name?" Maria asked cutting to the chase.

Paul sighed and ran his fingers through his hair and started babbling. "She was just a woman, an affair, a mistake. She was unbalanced. She was blackmailing me and I put an end to it a week ago."

"What's her name?" Sam asked getting a little impatient.

"What could she have to do with-" Paul started, but this time is was Maria that cut him off.

"Paul! What, is, her, name?" she asked accentuating each of her words.

"Amanda Robbins." He sighed.

"And her address?" Dean asked.

"309 Mayfair circle."

After getting her name and address, they headed straight for Amanda's house that wasn't too far away.

"Well, that's a curveball." Dean observed when they walked into the living room to find Amanda face down on the table, dead. "Three slits per wrist, vertical." Dean informed them after pushing Amanda's arms to the side with the barrel of his gun. "She wasn't foolin' around."

"Oh, that's just disgusting." Mia said as she and Sam noticed the maggot infested turkey dinner on the floor that was next to a book of magic.

"Yeah, looks like she was working some heavyweight evil here." Sam said.

As soon as she looked up she noticed the dead rabbit hanging from the ceiling right behind Dean. "Dean, don't tur-" she tried to warn him, but wasn't fast enough.

"Oh god!" he shouted when he turned around and came face to face with the rabbit. "Friggin' witches. Seriously, man, come on!" he shouted making Maria smirk to herself.

"Guess we know where she got the rabbits teeth from." Sam said, not fazed by his brothers hilarious reaction to the rabbit.

"I tried to warn you." Maria spoke up only receiving a half hearted look of thanks from Dean.

"Paul sure knows how to pick them. It's like fatal attraction all over again." Dean chipped in. Sam and Maria made sounds of agreement. "And why's the rabbit always get screwed in the deal?" he turned to look at the bowl of blood that sat on the table below the rabbit. "Poor little guy."

"You know what I don't get?" Sam asked getting their attention. "If she was so bent on revenge, why do this?"

"She didn't do this." Maria spoke up catching their attention.

"How do you know?" Dean asked.

"Witches' souls are owned by demons, that's what gives them their power." She said avoiding his question. "When we burned her hex bag we caused her to fail and that pissed off the demon. So it offed her." She finished with a shrug.

"Once again, how do you know all of this?" Dean asked with suspicious eyes.

"Because I studied witches in my spare time after my brother died." She confessed leaving out the fact that she thought about taking up witchcraft after all of her family died.

"Then how do you explain this?" Sam asked as he held up another hex bag that had been under the table.

"Huh, I guess we beat whoever planted that to the punch." She said with a shrug.

"Okay. Well, we gotta hit. A little witch on witch violence." Dean said as he pulled his cell phone out and called 911. "I'd like to report a dead body. 309 Mayfair circle. My name? Yeah, sure, my name is…" he hung up the phone without giving a name. "Why would witches gank each other?" Dean asked.

"That, I _don't _know." Maria answered.

"I think maybe we got a coven on our hands." Sam observed.

"Okay, lets get out of here before the police come." Maria said as she headed to the door with the guys following her.

* * *

"So what to you guys think we should do tomorrow? Maybe question Amanda's neighbors see if we can find anything out from them?" Dean suggested as he pulled into the parking lot of the motel and parked in front of their rooms.

"Yeah, sounds like a plan." Sam confirmed giving Dean and Maria a nod before he got out of the car and headed to his room.

"8:30, bright and early." Dean said to his brother before they all disappeared into the rooms.

Mia sighed and tossed the denim jacket that Sam had bought her onto the desk that sat by the door and turned to Dean, looking tired. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her into him. She rested her head on his shoulder with a sigh. "Did you want to take a shower before bed?" he asked, his hands resting on her sides as they swayed to no music.

"Yeah, just being around dead and maggot infested things makes me feel dirty." She answered pulling back to look into his green eyes. "Are you gonna join me?" she asked as she ran her hands down his down his shoulders and sides to rest on his hip that she light squeezed.

"Na, I gotta talk to Sammy about something." He sighed with disappointment before he kissed her and let go of her to grab his coat.

She watched his leave before she started gathering her shower supplies and disappeared into the bathroom. When she came out she was clean and wrapped in a towel, hoping to catch Dean's eye, but he still wasn't back from talking to his brother. So, disappointed and extremely sleeping, she decided to just go to bed and hope that he would be by her side when she woke up.

She had just slipped into a deep sleep when Dean walked into their room. He hadn't meant for his talk with Sam to take so long, but they had gotten into it about Maria and if she was really what was best for Dean at this point. Dean had refused to not be with her. So when he saw her laying in bed half covered by the thick hotel comforter, he decided to let her sleep instead of waking her.

After taking a shower he slid into bed behind her as carefully as he could. She stirred, but didn't wake up. He couldn't resist placing a light kiss on the back of her neck. She grunted awake and turned over to face him with a sigh as his hand slid down her waist to rest on her panty covered hip. He watched as a sleepy smile spread over her face and her eyes met his. "Have a good talk with your brother?" she asked as she reached up and rested her hand on his t-shirt covered chest. His face turned hard when he gave her a simple nod. "What are you guys arguing about now?" she asked coming fully awake.

"You." He answered truthfully.

"Should I be worried, or mad at him?" she asked not wanting to know the details of their argument.

"No." he once again answered truthfully making her smile.

"Good. Get some rest, you look like you need it." She placed her hand on his cheek as she gave him a soft goodnight kiss then turned onto her side and pressed her back against his hard chest.

With a sleepy sigh, he wrapped his arm around her waist. Within a few minutes his light snore filled the quiet room. Maria was blinking off to sleep when Dean's voice echoed in her ears making her eyes shoot open. She wasn't trying to read his mind, it was just flowing into her like people's thoughts used to do before the death of yellow eyes. But this was different not only were his thoughts reaching her, but every time she blinked she saw a flash of a image.

So she closed her eyes, curious to figure out what has happening. _"Come on, Dean, Sit down."_ Lisa's voice bounced around in Mia's head as a fuzzy image of Lisa sitting on a blanket in the grass played in her head. A wine glass was in her hand and a full stereotypical picnic basket sat to her side. Dean stood in the clothes he had been wearing the previous day, looking down at Lisa with a saddened face. _"Well, are you going to join me? We only have an hour before we have to pick Ben up from baseball."_ Dean smiled down at her and sat down cross-legged on the blanket. Mia's eyes opened making the images she was seeing disappear and she started trying to block out the sounds. It worked, but not before she heard Lisa say _"Dean, I love you."_

A tear slipped down her face as she sat up and took a deep, shaky breath. Dean stirred when she got up and went to shut herself in the bathroom. She gripped the porcelain sink and let another tear slip down her cheek to land in the white bowl before she wiped her face and took another deep breath. "He chose you. He _loves_ you." She whispered as she looked into the brown flecked green eyes of her reflection. "He wants to be with you." She assured herself one more time before she ran her fingers under her eyes one more time to clear it of salt water. When she walked back into the bedroom Dean was awake and sitting up on the edge of the bed with the lamp turned on. "Are you okay? It's not like you to get up during the night." He asked as she tucked herself back into the bed next to him.

"Yeah, I'm fine, I just…" she trailed off, staring at her hands. She was going to lie to him and tell him everything was okay, but she couldn't do it. "What were you dreaming about just now?" she looked up at him with curious slits in her eyelids.

"Do you really what to know?" he asked a little defensively.

"I'm pretty sure I already do, so yeah." She said turning to look at him better.

He sighed and scratched the back of his head. "I was having a picnic with Lisa."

Mia sighed and looked back down at her hands. "Let me guess she was wearing a yellow sun dress, white shoes and her hair was down." She continued to look at her hands. "Doris Day's dream a little dream of me played in the background. You two only had an hour before you had to go pick up Ben from baseball and she told you she loved you." When she got through retelling the scene she made herself look at Dean.

His jaw was slacked and his eyes were wide. "How did you know that?" he asked almost in shock.

"I don't know how I did, but I saw it. It was almost as if I was watching a movie." She explained and he just kept staring. "I swear, Dean, I didn't mean to spy on you." She said holding her hands out in front of her as if to calm him.

"Mia, it's fine. I just hope…you're not mad at me." He said with a hopeful twitch of his brow. Mia just stared at her hands in thought, not knowing if she was mad at him. "Mia?" he asked as he placed a hand on her back in an attempt to get her attention.

"I'm not mad at you. I know you love her too. It's just…it would have been nice if you were dreaming of us instead." She said making her eyes meet his. He sighed and placed a light kiss on her cheek. "I just have to keep reminding myself that I only have half of you. The other half is hers and Ben's."

"Mia…" he said her name in a sigh not being able to deny what she had said. He placed his hands on each side of her neck and rested his forehead on hers. "I love you more, you know that right?" he asked and she nodded her head as she reached up and placed her hands on his wrists. He kissed her, letting every emotion that was bouncing around in him flow into her. When the kiss broke they both slid down to lay under the heavy hotel covers. She rested her head on his shoulder and her hand on his chest that rose and lowered with each breath. "So, you can dream walk now, huh?" he asked sounding curious.

"I don't know what the hell to call it, but yeah, I guess I can." She said as she yawned and snuggled her head into his chest. "Goodnight, Dean." She whispered as he turned off the lamp.

* * *

They forgot to set an alarm and Sam, not wanting to invade their privacy or walk in on something he didn't want to see, let them sleep. So they were running four hours late when they started questioning Amanda's neighbors. The first few knew nothing about her other than she kept to herself and was in the local book club along with a woman named Elizabeth who lived a few houses down. So they decided to visit Elizabeth. "You must have a green thumb." Sam remarked as they walked up to the gardening woman.

"Excuse me?" Elizabeth asked with wide eyes.

"Getting these herbs to grow out of season like this. It's quite impressive." Sam explained motioning to the garden as Elizabeth looked down. "I'm sorry I should have introduced myself first. I'm, uh, detective Bachman. This is detective Turner and detective Mcentire." He said as they all pulled out their badges and showed them to Elizabeth.

"Hi." "Hello." Dean and Mia chimed in with smiles.

"We're following up on Amanda burns' death. Going around the neighborhood talking to her neighbors and stuff like that." Sam explained as Elizabeth stood up.

"But didn't she-? I mean, she killed herself, right?" Elizabeth asked with scared eyes.

"Maybe, maybe." Sam assured her.

"We heard you were friends with the deceased. Is that right?" Dean asked making her look even more scared as she answered that she was.

"Did you know anything about her practices?" Mia asked from where she stood between Dean and Sam.

"I'm sorry. Wha- what kind of practices?" she asked shifting from foot to foot.

"Well, her house was littered with satanic paraphernalia." Sam answered.

"A regular black Sabbath." Dean joked in a serious manner.

"No. That- But she was an Episcopalian." Elizabeth spoke up looking a little confused.

"Well, then we're pretty sure she was using the wrong bible." Dean joked again with a look at Mia and Sam.

"Elizabeth." They all turned to see a blond headed woman and a brunet walking over to join them from across the street. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine." She answered. "Uh, Renee, these are detectives. They say Amanda was-She was practicing…"

"Sorry , detectives. You can tell that Elizabeth is a little upset." Renee said as she touched Elizabeth's shoulder. Mia didn't miss the uncomfortable look that Elizabeth gave Renee.

"Of course, miss-?" Dean asked turning his attention to Renee.

"_Mrs._ Renee…Van…Allen." The woman answered with a hint of a attitude. "Would you like me to spell it for you?" Mia and Dean both looked at her with raised brows and Mia crossed her arms over her chest.

She decided to invade the women's heads. She projected herself into Renee's bitchy head first finding all kinds of cocky thoughts on their practices and how the FBI would never catch them. After that she turned at attention to Elizabeth's scared and watery eyes. While Renee's head had been hard and cocky, Elizabeth's was the most sweet and innocent feeling head she had ever been in. Although she too was a part of the coven so she wasn't all that innocent. Mia was about to put herself into the third woman's head when Dean touched her shoulder pulling her out of her own head. "Have a nice day." He said as they turned and headed to the impala.


	15. Chapter 15

**Sleeping With The Ally**

**Disclaimer:** See chapter one.

**Chapter 15: ****Malleus Maleficarum Continued.**

By the time they finished question the other neighbors the sun had started to set. "Well I'm already sold on that Elizabeth chick. You see that victory garden of hers? Belladonna, wolf's bane, mandrake. Not to mention that little flinch when we mentioned the occult." Dean said from where he sat behind the steering wheel. "Mia, what did you find out?" he asked with a look back at her in the rear view mirror.

"Well, Mrs. Renee I-wanna-punch-her-in-her-freaking-face Van Allen thinks she's the head of the coven." Dean smirked at her hatred for the blond headed bitch. "And Elizabeth is one too. I didn't get a chance to read the other woman's head, but I'm sure she's a member as well." Mia filled them in as she leaned forward and placed her chin on the back of the seat.

"Well, Elizabeth's definitely had a good run lately. Gone up a few tax brackets, won almost _too_ many raffles. The kind of thing a little black magic always helps with." Sam said while looking at newspapers with a flashlight. Dean and Mia made sounds of agreement. "And Mrs. _Renee van Allen_ has won almost every craft contest she entered in the past three months."

"A regular Martha Stewart, huh? Except for the devil worship." Dean said still looking out the front glass as he drove. "So that was the coven we met back there minus one member."

"Amanda was clearly going off the reservation. Do you think they killed her to keep up appearances?" Sam asked.

"Oh yeah, that's all Renee could think about." Mia spoke up.

"They killed a nut job. Should we thank them or what?" Dean asked with a look between his brother and Mia before he turned back to the road.

"Their working black magic too, Dean. They need to be stopped." Sam said making Dean and Mia both look at him a little surprised.

"Stopped like _stopped_?" Dean asked his brother who just nodded. "They're human, Sam."

"They're murderers." Sam argued.

Dean just looked at Mia who was looking to him for answers. "Burn, witch, burn." He said looking back at the road. A few seconds later the car engine stalled. "The hell?" Dean asked, looking around for the problem. The car slowed to a stop and they all looked up to see a blond woman standing in the middle of the road.

"Ruby?" Sam said as they all got out of the car.

"Sam, listen to me, there's no time." Ruby said as Mia and Dean shut their doors and looked at each other with question mark faces before turning their attention to Ruby. "You have to get out of town."

"So this is Ruby huh?" Dean asked before he pulled the colt out of his jacket. "Never had the pleasure."

"Dean." Sam said trying to stop his brother.

"I was hoping you would show up again." He said as Mia walked up to stand next to him. She placed her hand on his shoulder trying to calm him, but it didn't work.

"Point that thing…somewhere else." Ruby said cockily making Dean laugh sarcastically. "Sam, please. Go." Ruby turned her attention back to Sam. "Get in the car and don't look back."

"Why? I don't understand." Sam asked.

"Hey hot stuff. We can take care of a few kitchen witches thanks." Mia gave Dean's arm a squeeze making him turn his eyes to her long enough to see her shake her head no, but he ignored her.

"I'm not talking about witches, you jackass." Ruby said with crossed arms. "Witches are whores. I'm talking about who they serve." Her eyes turned to Maria. "You know what I'm talking about."

"Demons. Witches serve demons." Mia reminded the guys.

"Yeah, and there's one here. Now." Ruby said warning them.

"What, besides you?" Dean asked and Maria let go of his arm, giving up on cooling him down.

"Sam, it knows your in town. It's gonna come after you and it's way more than you can handle." Ruby pleaded.

"Oh, come on. What is this, huh? Please tell me you're not listening to this crap." Dean said still pointing the colt at Ruby.

"Put a leash on your brother, Sam, if you want to keep him." Ruby said getting aggravated with him.

"Dean, just chill out." Sam urged.

"No, no! She messing with your head. God knows why. That's who they are." Dean yelled shaking the point of the gun as he spoke.

"I'm telling you the truth." Ruby said and Mia chose that time to project herself into Ruby's head.

"And I'm telling you to shut up, bitch." Dean said not dropping the gun.

"I'm sorry, why are you even a part of his conversation?" Ruby asked walking a little closer to them.

"I don't know. Maybe because he's my brother, you black-eyed skank."

"Oh, right, right. You care about your brother so much. That's why you're checking out in a few months, leaving him all alone?" Ruby asked making Dean tell her to shut up. "At least let me try and save him since you wont be here to do it."

"I said shut up!" Dean said about to pull the trigger.

"Dean no!" Sam jumped in and pointed the gun to the sky as it went off, keeping Dean from shooting Ruby.

By the time Dean had wrestled free of Sam, Ruby was gone. "Dean." Mia said from where she stood with her arms wrapped protectively around herself, getting Dean's attention. He walked over and wrapped his arms around her shoulders pulling her into him. She let him hold her for a few seconds before she pushed him back. "Dean, she was telling the truth. She's just looking out for Sam and there really is a demon in town. A nasty one."

Dean just sighed and gave his brother a dirty look as he got back in the car. Mia just looked at Sam and shrugged before she too yanked open the back door and ducked into the car. The drive back to the motel was quiet and stiff. When they pulled into the parking lot she grabbed Dean's hand trying to keep him for going into the room after Sam still steaming, but he just gave her and apologetic look and kept walking. So she followed him, wanted or not, into the room with Sam.

"What the hell were you thinking?" Dean asked as they walked into the room.

"What? What the hell was I thinking?" Sam asked still standing in front of the closed bedroom door while Mia stood with her back pressed against the wall prepared to sit through another Sam vs. Dean fight.

"She's a demon, Sam. Period. Alright? They want us dead, we want them dead." Dean yelled talking with his hands before he turned to Mia. "And what's with you?"

"What?" she asked startled that he had brought her into the argument. "What are you talking about?"

"You were taking up for her. Are you on their side?" he asked and her jaw slacked before she clenched it shut.

"There are no sides, Dean. I simply read her mind and told you what I found. She's genuinely concerned about Sam. Demon or not she could help us. Hell, she's _been _helping us."

"Since when did you start trusting demons. Last time you tangoed with one you almost died. Which is why we have to kill _all_ demons." Dean said staring into Mia's eyes.

"Oh, that's funny, I remember that demon chick in Ohio. Casey? You didn't want her dead." Sam argued and Dean turned around and walked away taking off his jacket in the process.

"Yeah, well, she wasn't string me along like a fish on a hook." He turned back to Sam and threw his jacket on the bed.

"No one's stringing me along." Dean just gave Sam a look that asked if he was serious. "Look, I know it's dangerous, that _she_ is dangerous. But like it or not, she's useful."

"No. We kill her before she kills us." Dean said with a point to the ground.

"Kill her with what? The gun she fixed for us?" Sam asked with raised brows.

"Whatever works." Dean said throwing his arms out to the side.

"Dean, if she wants us dead, all she has to do is stop saving our lives." Sam argued making Dean turn and walk away. Sam started following. "We have to start looking at the big picture, Dean. Start thinking in strategies and moves ahead." Dean started washing his face and Mia moved from her spot on the wall to stand behind Sam so that she could see Dean. "It's not so simple. We're not just hunting anymore." Dean turned, wiping his face as he looked to Sam and Mia. "We're at war."

"Are you feeling okay?" he asked making Sam roll his eyes.

"Why are you always asking me that?" Sam asked as he moved to sit on the foot of the bed closest to the door.

"Because you're taking advice from a demon, for starters." Dean practically yelled as he walked back into the bedroom area. "and by the way you seem less and less worried about offing people. You know it used to eat you up inside." Dean stood talking with his hands not taking his eyes off of Sam.

"And what has that gotten me?" Sam asked and making Mia suddenly feel like she was no longer welcome in the room.

"Nothing. It's just what you're supposed to do." As Mia turned her attention to Dean she noticed him holding his side. "We're supposed to drive in the frigging car and frigging argue about this stuff. You know you go on about the sanctity of life crap." She watched as he stopped talking and started holding his other side.

"Wait. So you're mad because I'm starting to agree with you?" Sam asked, but Mai kept her eyes on Dean who walked over to the bed looking like he was in pain.

"No, I'm not mad I'm-I'm worried, Sam. I'm worried because you're not acting like yourself." He sat down and looked up at Mia with creased brows. She walked over to him and placed her hand on his back and started rubbing it.

"Yeah. You're right. I'm not." Sam said looking across his shoulder at Dean. "I don't have a choice."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Dean asked with a pain filled voice while Mia still rubbed his back comfortingly, not wanting to stop the brother's talk to ask Dean what was wrong. She figured that Dean would say something if he was in too much pain.

"Look, Dean, you're leaving, right?" Sam asked and Dean looked away as he squinted in pain.

"Dean, are you okay?" Mia asked as she kneeled down beside him at the foot of the bed, but he just nodded and waved her off.

"And I gotta stay here is this craphole of a world, alone. So the way I see it…if I'm gonna make it, if we're gonna fight this war after you're gone then I gotta change." Sam kept talking ignoring Maria and Dean.

"Change into what?" Dean asked not hesitating to hold Mia's hand when she grabbed his.

"Into you." Sam answered making his brother stare at him. "I gotta be more like you."

Dean could no longer hold back the fact that he was in physical pain and clenched onto his stomach as he started groaning in pain. "Dean, what's the matter?" Mia asked.

"Yeah, what's going on with you?" Sam asked.

"I don't know." He grunted and leaned over clenching his side. "Ow! Something's wrong." Dean started rocking back and forth in pain.

"What?" Sam asked getting concerned.

"If feels like a bunch of knives inside of me." Dean groaned squeezing Mia's hand.

"Dean?" Sam came over joining Mia where she was still kneeling on the floor in front of Dean.

"Son of a bitch!" Dean yelled. "The coven, Sam. It's gotta be the coven. Uh!" Dean looked into Mia's eyes before he squeezed his closed and doubled over.

"Don't worry." Sam said before he pulled Mia up and they started searching for a hex bag. They practically tore the place apart and never found a bag. When Mia turned and saw Dean on his hands and knees, coughing up blood, she could no longer look for the bag. She ran to his side and slid to a stop falling on her knees in the process.

"Dean? Baby, hold on. Say with me." Mia said as she placed her hand on his face making him look up at her with fearful eyes. When he fell onto his side Mia looked to Sam for help, but he didn't see her because he was grabbing his gun out of his bag. "Sam, what are you doin?" she asked, but didn't receive an answer. She tried to stand and go after him.

But Dean grabbed her pant leg and looked up at her with pleading eyes. "No, don't leave me." She yelled after Sam again, but he was already gone. So she kneeled back down and took Dean's hand in hers. Dean yelled and grabbed her knee with his other hand, squeezing it with everything he had. She felt useless just sitting there holding his hand while he died. "Mia, I love you. God, I love you so much baby." He said through his pain making the tears, that she was unaware were falling till then, fall faster.

"I love you too, Dean." She said in a cracking voice as she reached out and ran her hand through his hair and down his blood covered cheek.

The blood he was coughing up became too much and he started choking on it, so she helped him turn over and prop himself up on his forearm. "Mia promise me something." He said pulling her out of her thoughts. "Don't do anything stupid." He looked up at her confused, tear streaked face. "Don't be like after your brother." He looked down and coughed up more blood. "Find a good man… settle down… have kids. Be happy. Play your guitar… sing."

"Shut up." She said weakly making him look at her. "You're not dieing tonight. You can't, not yet. Whatever Sam left to do is going to save you. It has to."

Before he had a chance to say something else to her the door was kicked in and there stood Ruby. "You wanna kill me? Get in line, bitch." Dean said before he looked back down at the floor to spit up more blood.

Ruby charged over and pushed Mia off of Dean and slammed her against the wall before she stepped back, held her palm out and slid Mia up the wall with invisible force. Ruby left her hanging there as she turned to Dean, picked him up and slammed him on the bed.

"Leave him alone!" Maria yelled as Ruby started squirting nasty looking green crap into Dean's mouth. Mia closed her eyes straining her mind to fight the invisible hold Ruby had on her. To her surprise she dropped to the floor with a thud. She didn't take time to analyze what she had just done. Instead she ran to Dean's side and pulled Ruby off of him.

With Dean now gagging on the green junk in his mouth, Ruby stood back to glare at him. "Stop… calling me bitch."

Mia pushed Ruby further away as she went to Dean's side. "Dean. Dean, are you okay?" she asked as she sat down on the bed next to him and help him sit up.

"Yeah, yeah I'm good. No more pain." He said unbelievingly as he slid down to sit on the foot of the bed.

"Next time you point that gun at me, I'm not gonna just disappear. Understand. And you…" Ruby looked to Maria, "You got out of my hold. Nice. Your gifts aren't as dormant as Sam's." Mia just shrugged not knowing what to make of Ruby's statement. Ruby tossed Dean his gun.

He caught it and stared at her. "You, saved my life." Dean replied sounding freaked out by the thought. "What was that stuff? God it was ass. It tasted like ass."

"It's called witchcraft, short bus." Ruby answered as she turned and left the room.

"You're the short bus, short bus." Dean said staring after her, but his attention turned to Mia when she softly chuckled. "What?"

"Great come back." She smirked as she stood from the bed and held her hands out to him. "I'll let it slide because you almost just died." He just smirked back at her and let her pull him in for a hug.

It only took them a few minutes to get to Renee's house where they were sure the coven would be meeting. But when they busted into the house Dean and Mia were thrown against opposite walls. When they looked around they found Renee dead in front of the fire placed and Sam hovering against the wall while Elizabeth cowered near the fireplace. "Three for one, lovely." Tammi the third member of the coven who was a demon, said while looking at Dean.

"Wait." Ruby walked in with her hands in the air in surrender. "Please. I just…came to talk." She walked to stand in front of the demon.

"You made it out of the gate." While the demons conversed Mia was staring at Dean, wanting nothing more than to get down off the wall and kill the dark headed bitch. "Impressive. It was a bitch of a fight, wasn't it?" At hearing the mention of the devils gate Mia turned her attention to the two demons in the room.

"Door out of hell's only open for so long." Ruby answered before she turned to Mia. "Thanks for that by the way."

Mia just scoffed at Ruby before Tammi spoke. "What do you want, Ruby?"

"I've been lost without you. Take me back. That's why I led the Winchesters and their play mate here." Dean and Mia shared a look before Dean turned to Sam and mouthed "I told you so." "They're for you. As a gift." Mia looked from Ruby to Dean and Sam then back at Ruby. "Let me serve you again." Ruby walked closer to Tammi. "I've wanted it. I've wanted you…for so long."

Mia looked up at Dean to see him looking at the women with a look that said how hot he thought the scene taking place in front of him was. When he saw Mia looking he cleared his face. "You were one of my best." Tammi admitted and a second later Ruby surprised them all and tried to stab her. "But then again, you always were a lying whore." The demon blade was thrown across the room before the two women started fighting. Ruby was getting her little ass kicked, she was thrown into a tv before getting thrown into a bookcase smashing it to the ground. "You're really telling me you threw in your chips with the three stooges here?" Ruby tried to get up before she was hit across the face with a fire poker.

It didn't escape Mia when Elizabeth moved to the table and pored out the bowl of pins to begin working a spell. Mia looked at Dean and Sam then to Tammi, towering over Ruby. "Come on. Get up." Ruby didn't move from where she was laying on the floor on her back. "I said get up!" Tammi threw down the fire poker and grabbed Ruby by her open jacket, pulling her to a sitting position. "We've been here before, haven't we?" Tammi looked at Sam. "She didn't tell you?" she looked back at Ruby who was staring at Sam. "Pretty mortifying I guess. She was one of mine. I turned her out a long, long time ago. Ruby, here, was a witch." Mia looked at Dean, knowing how much he hates witches, to see him struggling to get down. "Of course that was when you were human." Tammi threw Ruby back down drawing Mia's eyes away from Dean. "Didn't want your friends to know that all those centuries back you sold yourself to me? Embarrassing, I guess. But don't worry love. No secrets where you're heading, remember?"

Tammi started exorcising Ruby. Back smoke started coming out of her mouth, but you could tell that Ruby was fighting it. _Alright, if anyone's going to off Ruby it ain't gonna be no damn demon._ With that thought in mind Mia closed her eyes and started trying to break the hold that Tammi had on her. She fell to the floor catching the attention of Tammie who turned and tried to slam her back into the wall, but instead Tammi started coughing.

Mia started moving to the demon blade where it sat on the floor near the couch. As soon as she grabbed it Sam and Dean fell to the floor and Tammi coughed up pins. Mia paid no attention to the other things going on around her as she lifted the blade over her head and brought it down to stab Tammi right between her shoulder blades. She stabbed her three more times before she let go of the blade and let it fall with Tammi's flashing body. After looking back to see that Dean and Sam were okay Maria reached down and held a hand out to Ruby. She took it and let Maria haul her to her feet. No words were exchanged, just nods of mutual appreciation.

Dean picked up the colt from where it had been tossed on the floor before he and Sam walked over to her. Dean wrapped his arm protectively around Mia's waist before they all looked at Ruby. "Go. I'll clean up this mess." Dean pushed Mia toward the door so she pushed Sam. Dean stopped to pick up his double barrel then turned back to Ruby who flash them her black eyes. "Go."

Later that night Mia and Dean laid in bed. Her head rested on his shoulder while he absentmindedly played with her loose damp hair. "Nice work back there." He said making her smile to herself.

"Hey, no one tries to kill my man and gets away with it." She said with a laugh as she looked up at him.

"Is it weird that I find you stabbing a demon incredibly sexy?" he asked with a playful smirk at her.

"Yes, but hey, we're all messed up in our own little ways." She said as she reached up and touched his face with her fingertips as she kissed him. "Hey, did you mean what you said before?"

"Huh?" he asked pretending to not know what she was talking about.

"You told me to find a good man and be happy." She said as she sat up against the headboard and looked down at him.

"Oh, that. Yeah, I meant it." He answered not looking at her, but at the blank tv screen instead.

"Dean." He didn't look at her so she moved around to straddle him. "I already have a good man." He scoffed at her still not meeting her eyes. "You don't think you're good?" he placed his hands on her hips, but still didn't say anything. "Dean, you _are_ a good man." She said grabbing his face and making him meet her eyes.

"Okay fine, I'm a good man. But still, I'm not going to be around much longer."

She let go of his face and rested her hands on his chest. "We don't know that for sure. Rudy said she could help you and she's been helping us."

"She lied." Dean blurted making Mia back off a bit with a slacked jaw. "There is no way to save me from the pit."

"How do you know?" she asked as she moved to sit at the foot of the bed.

"She told me earlier when I went to get us somethin' to drink." She was staring down at her hands, her hair shielding her face from him. "Mia?"

She let out a breath and blinked rapidly up at him. "Yeah." Her word came out just a whisper before she cleared her throat and let him pull her closer to him. "I guess I should have known she was lying. I mean, it's what demons do best." She said as she laid her head on his shoulder.

"Yep." Dean sighed before he hooked his pointer finger under her chin and kissed her. "I meant what I said. Promise me you'll do it."

"I promise." She whispered before she kissed his cheek and slid down to lie under the covers. "Although I'll never be able to find someone to compete with you. Unless you have another brother that I don't know about."

"Nope, we're only two Winchesters left that I know of." He sighed as he slid in next to her. "Good night, Mia."

"Night, Dean."

**A/N: **Reviews please. And follows, follows are good too lol.


	16. Chapter 16

**Sleeping With The Ally**

**Disclaimer:** See chapter one.

**A/N:** Okay guys and galls. You are in for a very long chapter, because I felt like you have waited too long for me to break this up into two chapters like I usually do. Y'all deserve this because I haven't updated for almost a month. Please enjoy and tell me what you think. Even if it's a negative opinion I'd still like to hear it. Anyways, on with the story.

**Chapter 16:** **Dream a little Dream of me.**

Dean awoke to find Maria laying on her stomach with a hand on his shoulder and the side of her face pressed into the fluffy motel pillow. He rolled over with a yawn and took her hand in his as it slipped off of his shoulder. This is all it took for her to jerk awake. When she realized where she was and who she was with she smiled sleepily up at him. "Mornin' sunshine." He said through a stretch that she mimicked as she turned over and sat up.

"What time is it?" she asked before a yawn over took her.

"One forty five." He answered as he picked up the clock and showed it to her.

"We've managed to sleep half of the day." She got out of bed and started digging through her bag in search of clean clothes. "And we need to do laundry." She said not being able to find much other than a pair of semi clean jeans and a ratty black and white Cross Canadian Ragweed shirt.

After getting dressed and going to Sam's room to find it empty, they started searching for him. They eventually found him in the nearest bar. "There you are. What are you doing?" Dean asked as he and Mia walked up to Sam who was sitting at a bar in the middle of the place with a half empty glass in his hand. Sam simply replied that he was having a drink. "It's two in the afternoon. You're drinking whiskey?" Dean asked a little harshly.

"I drink whiskey all the time." Sam's defenses went up.

"No you don't." Dean said and Mia took a few steps back. They were arguing again and she never knew when she should intervene.

"What's the big deal? You get sloppy in bars, you hit on chicks all the time. Why can't I?" Sam asked making both Maria and Dean look around for a potential woman for Sam.

"It's kinda slim pickings around here." Dean said before looking back at his brother who had his brows creased. "What's going on with you?"

Sam looked around as if he were trying not to cry. "I tried Dean." His voice was low and gravelly.

Dean looked at Mia with wide confused eyes. She just shrugged and Dean looked back at his little brother. "To do what?"

"To save you." Sam's eyes were now red and Dean sighed as he pulled out a stool and sat down.

Mia leaned down between the two, putting her back to Sam. "I'm gonna go wait in the car." She said quietly to Dean before she leaned down and kissed him quickly on the lips. "Good luck." She said feeling stupid for saying it as she walked away. She had only been in the car for a few minutes when Sam and Dean came rushing out of the bar. Mia knew from the looks on their faces that there was something going on that was bigger and more pressing than Sam's concern for his brother fate. "What's wrong?" Mia asked when the two got in the front and slammed their doors.

"Bobby's in the hospital. They don't know what's wrong with him." Sam explained as Dean cranked the car and headed to the motel. They quickly gathered their things and got on the road.

* * *

Mia stood at the head of Bobby's bed, her hand resting lightly on his shoulder as his sleeping form breathed slowly in and out. "So what's the diagnosis?" Sam asked making Mia look up from Bobby's face.

"We've tested everything we can think to test. He seems perfectly healthy." The doctor who stood at the foot of the bed with a clip board in his hand, answered.

"Except that he's comatose." Dean said with a hard, but curious look on his face.

"Mr. Sniderson, you're his emergency contact. Anything we should know? Any illnesses?" the doctor asked.

"No, he never gets sick. I mean, he doesn't even catch a cold." Dean answered without a thought. This made Maria wonder just how long Dean and Sam had known Bobby.

"Doctor, is there anything you can do?" Sam asked.

"Look, I'm sorry, but we don't know what's causing it…so we don't know how to treat it." The doctor answered Sam before he looked over to where Maria still stood with her hand on Bobby's shoulder. "He just…went to sleep and didn't wake up."

Sam and Dean shared a look before Dean reached out and took her hand, pulling her from Bobby so that they could leave the room. They got information from the nurses on where they had picked Bobby up from, then headed to the motel.

"So what was Bobby doing in Pittsburgh?" Sam asked as they walked into the room that Bobby had been staying in.

"I don't know unless he was taking an extremely lame vacation." Dean said as he held the door open letting Mia walk in before he closed it behind him.

"Did Bobby ever work cases on his own?" Mia asked as she walked in and looked around at the really bad brown and blue décor.

"He would every once in a while. But if he was you'd think there'd be some sort of sign or something, you know? Research, news clippings… A friggin' pizza box or a beer can." Dean said as they all walked around looking for anything that would tell them something.

Mia, seeing that everything else was empty, went to the closet and pulled the doors open. As she pushed aside the clothes that were hanging up her eyes landed on the papers, news clippings and sticky notes that covered the wall. "Guys, you might wanna come see this." She said getting their attention as he kneeled down and examined the things. "Silene capensis." Mia said as she reached out and unpinned a piece of paper from the wall. "Have you guys heard of this before?" she asked as she passed the paper to Dean.

"Yeah, sure its that plant that does that thing." He said.

Mia just rolled her eyes and looked at him over her shoulder. "Idiot."

"Yeah, that mean's nothing to me." He said as he passed it to Sam who just pinned it back on the wall and took something else off.

"Here, obit. Dr. Walter Gregg, 69, university neurologist." Sam read off.

"How'd he die?" "How'd he bite it?" Maria and Dean asked at the same time. They looked at each other and smiled as Dean wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her into his warm side.

"Um," Sam said with an awkward look at the two before he looked back down at the paper, "Actually, they don't know. They say he just went to sleep and didn't wake up."

"Does that sound familiar to y'all?" Mia asked getting the eyes of both of the brothers.

"Alright, um… So lets say Bobby was looking into the doc's death. You know, hunting after something-"

"That started hunting him." Dean finished for Sam. He let go of Mia's side. "Alright, you two stay here, see if you can make heads or tails of this."

"What are you gonna do?" Mia asked a little mad that Dean asked her to stay here with Sam instead of going with him.

"I'm gonna look into the good doctor myself." Dean headed for the door to leave before he stopped as if he had forgotten something. He walked back over to Mia who was staring after him, kissed her on the forehead and gave her a smile then left without a word.

"So lets start decoding all this shall we?" Maria said as she unpinned an article off of the wall in front of her and started reading. The next hours were mostly spent in silence as she and Sam started putting things together. They had figured out most of the stuff when they got a call from Dean letting them know that he was at he hospital with Bobby.

* * *

Mia and Sam walked into Bobby's hospital room to find Dean sitting in a chair next to his bed. His back was facing the door, so he didn't see them walk in. He jumped when Mia touched his back and gave him a weak smile. "How is he?" Sam asked getting his brother's attention.

"No change. What you got?" Dean replied with a look at the folder in Sam's hand as he got up and moved to stand behind Maria. He wrapped his arms around her waist and leaned around her to kiss her cheek before he turned his attention to where Sam was laying papers on the hospital tray.

"Well, considering what you told us about the doc's experiments, Bobby's wall is starting to make a hell of a lot more sense." Sam said.

"How so?" Dean asked.

"The plant." Mia said as she pulled the picture out of the open Melina folder. "This silene capensis it's also known as African dream root. Shaman and medicine men have been using it for centuries." She handed Dean the paper.

"Let me guess. They dose up, bust out the didgeridoos, start kicking around the hackey." Dean said with a look at her before he looked to Sam who laughed. Mia just shook her head and mouthed the word idiot.

"Not quite. If you believe the legends it's used for dream walking. Entering another person's dreams, poking around in their heads." Sam said.

"I take it we believe the legends?" Dean asked.

"Duh." Maria asked receiving a smirk from Sam and Dean. "But dream walking is just the start of it."

"What do you mean?" Dean asked.

"I mean this dream root is seriously bad business. You take it on a regular basis and practice enough you'll become the envy of Freddy Krueger. You can control anything in someone's dreams. You could flip any dream. Bad dreams go good, good dreams go bad." She answered.

"And killing people in their sleep?" Dean asked with a look at Mia who nodded.

"For example." Sam said getting his brothers attention. "So let's say this doc was testing this stuff on his patients, Tim Leary style."

"Somebody gets pissed at him, decides to give him a little dream visit and he goes nighty-night."

"But that doesn't explain why Bobby's still alive. I mean if the killer came after him then…?" Mia trailed off with a look a the man in the bed before she turned her eyes to the brothers.

"I don't know." Dean answered while looking at Bobby's sleeping form. "Hey, Mia, you can dream walk now, why don't you try it on Bobby?" Dean asked making Mia open her mouth to respond, but Sam interrupted.

"You can dream walk now?" he asked taking a step back to look at her with creased brows.

"I don't know if you can call it dream _walking_ it's more like I'm watching an old movie. The pictures a little fuzzy and jumpy and the audio fades in and out. I'd call it dream snooping, but yeah." She admitted as she tucked her hands into the pockets of her black fitted jeans.

"Huh, then I think you should give it a try. You know, see what's going on in there." Sam said with a motion to Bobby.

"But I don't know how to do it. It's only happened that one time. It could've been a fluke for all I know." She said as her eyes bounced back and forth between the brothers.

Dean saw that she was freaking out a little so he took a step toward her as he turned his eyes to his brother and jerked his head toward the door. "Mia, Baby." He took her hands in his to hold them between their bodies. "It's not like we're asking you to climb mount Everest. You don't even have to succeed. All you have to do is try. Hell, you don't even have to do that if you don't want to, but I really think it would help if we knew what was happening in there." He said with a nod to Bobby.

Mia sighed and gripped his hands tighter as she looked across her shoulder at Bobby. "Okay. I'll try." She said before she gave Dean a small smile of thanks and walked over to stand beside the bed. "Sam, you can come in if you want." She called and a second later Sam was walking in.

Mia sighed and placed her hand on Bobby's forehead. She closed her eyes, relaxed and focused. She jumped when a woman's screaming hit her ears and the image of Bobby holding a closet door closed, as whatever was on the other side tried to get in, took over her head. He started stacking things in front of it. All the while the woman was screaming. Bobby gave up on stacking things against it and pressed his back into the door. "Help me! Somebody help me!" he yelled as the closet disappeared and it seemed as if Mia was being pulled away from Bobby down a long hall. With Bobby's calls for help still ringing in her ears she pulled her hand from his head. As she became aware of her surroundings she realized that Dean was holding a tissue to her nose while Sam stood close bye incase Dean needed his help.

"Hey, you with us?" Dean asked quietly, knowing that she probably had a headache.

She simply reached up and took the tissue from him to press it back to her nose. "Yeah, I'm…I'm fine. Just give me a second." She said with a face that suggested she was in pain as she sat down in the hospital chair. They simply stood by and watched her until she was ready to speak. "He's trapped in a nightmare. He was yelling for help with his back pressed to a jiggling door. Something was trying to get to him. He had scratches on his face like something clawed him. And there were these screams." Mia said looking at the floor as she spoke. "Female screams that damn near busted my eardrums." She said as she held a claw like hand up to her ear. "We have to find who's doing this to him." She said dropping her hand as she finally looked up at Dean.

They gave Mia a few silent minutes to get over her headache before the left the room. "So how do we find our homicidal sandman?" Dean asked as they headed down a hospital hallway.

"It could be anyone." Sam answered.

"Yeah, anyone who knew the doctor and had access to the dream root. My guess is one of his test subjects or his assistant." Mia spoke up from where she was walking between Sam and Dean.

"That's possible, but his research was pretty sketchy. I mean, I don't know how many subjects he had or who all of them were." Dean said making Sam scoff. "What?"

"In any other case we'd be calling Bobby and asking him for help right now." Sam sighed.

Dean stopped and grabbed both of their arms pulling them to a stop. "You know what? You're right. Let's go talk to him." Mia just looked at Dean like he was crazy.

"Sure, but I think we might find the conversation a bit one sided." Sam said.

Dean just shook his head cockily. "Not if we're trippin' on some dream root."

"What?" Sam asked while Mia still looked at him like he was nuts. "You wanna go dream walking inside Bobby's head?"

"Yeah, why not? Maybe we could help." Dean asked.

"We have no idea what's crawling around in there. I mean, Maria said that something was after Bobby." Sam said with a motion to Mia who had decided to stay out of it.

"How bad could it be?" Dean asked with a shrug and Sam replied that it could be bad. "Dude, it's Bobby."

"Yeah, you're right." Sam sighed. "One problem though, we're fresh out of African Dream Root. So unless you know someone who can score some then…" Sam trailed off.

Maria noticed Dean biting his lip before he closed his eyes and sighed. "Crap." he said and just the look on his face let Mia know who he was thinking of.

"Dean, no." Mia said stepping between the two. "No way." Dean just sighed and looked at her.

"What? What no way?" Sam asked, not understanding what was going on.

"Bela." Dean said with a look around Mia's head at Sam.

"Bela? Crap." Sam said with a gasp of realization.

Maria rolled her eyes at the brother's similarity's before waving her hand in front of Dean's face. "You can't call that stuck up bitch." She said putting her hands on her hips.

"Yeah, Dean, you're actually suggesting we ask her a favor?" Sam asked with creased brows.

"Look, I feel dirty just thinking about it, I do," he looked at Mia before he rolled his eyes back to Sam, "But yeah. I am." He didn't give Mia more time to argue before he started walking off. She and Sam just shared a sigh before they started following him.

* * *

Back at the hotel Maria and Dean sat opposite each other as they weeded through the doctors notes and research. "Jeez, how could this man even read his own handwriting." She said as she sighed and tossed the paper she had been reading onto the table before she grabbed her beer and took a sip. "Doctors with handwriting like his are the reason people die of mis-dosage." She massaged her temples and sighed.

Their eyes were drawn to Sam when a pleasured moan reached their ears. "Aren't you glad you can't go dream snooping on him right now?" Dean asked her with a smirk.

"You know, the sad thing is I wish I could, just so I can make fun of him for whoever he's dreaming about." She laughed before a few more highly inappropriate noises reached their ears making her extremely uncomfortable.

"Sam! Wake up." Dean said making Sam jerk awake and wipe drool from his face. "Dude, you were out and making some serious happy noises." Dean said hoping to embarrass him. "Who were you dreaming about?"

"What? No one. Nothing." Sam answered jerkily making Mia laugh.

"Come on you can tell me. Angelina Jolie?" Dean asked receiving a negative answer from Sam. "Brad Pitt?" he asked making Mia belly laugh.

"Maybe it is a good thing I can't dream read him." She laughed.

"No. No. It doesn't matter." Sam said before he turned back around to look away from Dean and Maria.

"Whatever. I called Bela." Dean said turning his eyes back to the doctors notes. Mia noticed how Sam's body stiffened at the mention of Bela.

"Bela? yeah? What'd she, you know, say? She gonna help us?" Mia gave Sam a questioning look at how jittery he was being before he turned away.

"No. Surprise surprise." Mia sighed as she shook off Sam's behavior.

"Which puts us back to square one. We've been trying to decipher the doctors notes. Unfortunately, he had worse handwriting than you do." Dean said with the pen and paper still in his hands. "You gonna come help us with this stuff?"

Sam made a move to get up before he looked down causing him to stop. "Yeah, yeah. Just give me a sec." he started to stretch when there was a knock on the door, pulling all of their attention to it.

Dean went to the door and cracked it before he pulled it completely open. "Bela! As I live and breathe." He greeted making Maria sink down in her chair with a sigh.

"You called me. Remember?" Bela asked before her eyes found Maria. "Oh, _you're_ still here, I see. Mooching off of the boys." Bela said making Maria grit her teeth.

"I remember you turning me down." Dean said making Bela turn her attention to him.

"Well, I'm just full of surprises." She said before she turned to look at Sam who greeted her casually. "I brought you your African Dream Root. She pulled a jar out of her purse and handed it to Dean who took it and gave her a skeptical look. "Nasty stuff, and not easy to come by." Dean asked her why she changed her mind. "What, I can't do you a little favor every now and again?"

"No, you can't." Maria stood up to stand beside Dean and glare at Bela who glared right back. "Now what's the catch, Bela? What do you want from us?" she asked as she folded her arms over her chest.

Bela looked from Mia to Dean. "You said this was for Bobby Singer, Right?" she asked and Dean nodded his head. "Well, I'm doing it for him, not you." Dean asked her why she was doing it for Bobby. "He saved my life once, in flagstaff." They all just looked at her like she was stupid. "I screwed up and he saved me, okay? You satisfied?"

"Maybe." "No." Dean and Mia said at the same time as they walked further into the room.

"So when do we go on this little magical mystery tour?" Bela asked.

"You're not going anywhere near Bobby." Mia stood up and put her hands on her hips as she glared at Bela.

"Oh, Maria, grow up and get over it." Bela snapped.

"You first you selfish bi-"

"Mia." Dean interrupted her. "Now's not the time for that." He turned from Mia to look at Bela. "You're not going anywhere. I don't trust you enough to let you in my car, much less Bobby's head." He said as he headed over to the safe and opened it up. He put the dream root inside along with the colt as he turned to look back at Bela. "No offense."

"None taken." Mia said as Dean closed the safe and spun the lock. "It's 2a.m. where am I supposed to go?" Bela asked with a look between them all.

"Get a room." Mia answered.

"Yeah. They got the magic fingers, casa erotica on pay per view. You'll love it." Dean answered with a small wink.

"You…" Bela huffed as she grabbed her coat and purse and headed out.

"Nice to…seeing you…Bela." Sam said awkwardly as Bela walked out and slammed the door. Mia and Dean just gave him curious looks before they shook it off.

"Well, we got the root. Let's start dream hopping." Mia said to the brothers as she went to put a pot of water on the boil.

"You're not going with us." Dean said as he followed her into the kitchen.

"What, why?" she asked turning to look up at him with a creased brow. "I can already see dreams. Imagine what I could do if I'm _in_ the dream." She argued.

But Dean sighed and rested his hands on her sides to give her a light squeeze. "Mia, we need you to stay here and watch out for us. We can deal with Bobby's nightmares."

She sighed and looked down at the floor before she made herself look back up. "Okay, if you think that's what's best then fine, I'll stay." He gave her a small smile and kissed her lips before he left to get the root out of the safe now that Bela was gone.

A few minutes later two glasses of dream root tea were ready. Mia brought them to the boys that were sitting on the foot of the beds waiting to be put to sleep. "Should we dim the lights and sync up wizard of oz to Dark side of the moon?" Dean asked Sam who looked at him questioningly. "Dude, what did you do during college?" Dean asked making Sam and Mia shake their heads.

Dean started to drink the tea, but Sam stopped him. "Wait, wait, wait. We can't forget this." He pulled out a small manila envelope, took something from and put it into Dean's hand.

"What the hell is this?" Dean asked and Sam responded that it was Bobby's hair. "We have to Drink Bobby's hair?" he asked. Mia made a grossed out face.

"That's how you control whose dream you're entering. You gotta drink some of their uh, some of their body." Sam explained.

"Huh, guess hair of the dog is better than other parts of the body." Dean said as he tossed the hair into the glass. "Bottoms up." He said holding his glass up to Sam who clanked them together. They both chugged the nasty looking concoction. By the looks on their faces the drink was as bad as it looked.

Mia just watched as their eyes rolled back into their head and fell backward onto the bed at the same time. Mia took a seat at the head of Dean's bed and leaned back onto the headboard with a sigh. After a few minutes she pressed her palm against Dean's head and closed her eyes. It was as if she were watching an old movie. Blips and blurs randomly appeared and disappeared on the shaky image of Dean on Bobby. "It's a dream Bobby. None of this is real." Dean said to a panicked looking Bobby who still had the three small scratches on his face that she had seen when she dream snooped on him.

"Does that look made-up to you?" Bobby asked as he pointed to something out of Mia's view point. He started freaking out and tried to run, but the door that he was trying to go through slammed. Dean asked him who whatever was coming after them was. "She's-she's my wife." It pained Mia to see Bobby like that. Scared and hurt tying to run from his wife.

"Why, Bobby? Why did you do this to me?" When the woman spoke, Mia's view point shifted to show a pretty blond woman in a bloody white nightgown. She was staring at Bobby with a mixture of hurt and anger on her face.

"I'd rather die myself than hurt you." Bobby replied in a shaky voice.

"But you did hurt me." The woman replied on the verge of tears. "You shoved that knife into me. Again and again. You watched me bleed, watched me die."

_Come on Dean, do something._ Mia thought to herself at the same time Dean walked up and grabbed the shoulders of Bobby's jacket.

"Bobby, she's not real." Dean tried, but Bobby ignored him.

Mia, feeling as if she were intruding on Bobby, pulled her hand back as if she were burned. "Poor Bobby." She said to herself as she picked up her book up off of the cheap nightstand and started to read. She had made it through a few pages and settled into her own thoughts when Sam and Dean both shot straight up in bed.

She jumped and her book went flying. "My god. Y'all gave me a freakin' heart attack." She said as she placed her hand over her chest and glared at the panting guys. Dean just looked at her, still breathing hard. "What did you guys figure out. I snooped on some of it, but I didn't see you anywhere, Sam." She turned her eyes to the younger brother questioningly.

"Yeah, where did you disappear to?" Dean asked.

"I got locked outside with stoner boy. He it me with a baseball bat. Said Bobby was coming after him and wanted to hurt him. He was about to knock me out right before we woke up." Sam explained as he got up and grabbed his coat.

Dean and Mia did the same. "Okay, why don't you go see if he is still in his dorm. I'm gonna go see if Bobby's awake." Dean headed for the door and Sam agreed to go look for the guy.

"I'll come with you Dean, I really want to see how Bobby's doin'." Mia said as she slung her coat on and moved to stand behind Dean as they all headed out.

* * *

"Bobby. Thank god you're awake too." Mia greeted as she and Dean walked into the room.

"Good to see you too, Maria." He greeted her back as she leaned down and gave him a hug. "Do you guys have the papers from my room?" he asked and Dean handed him the manila folder.

They sat there for a while, going through the research before Dean spoke up. "Hey, Bobby. That uh… That stuff, all that stuff with your wife." Bobby sat down the paper in his hand and looked at Dean who now had his full attention. "Did that actually happen?"

Bobby just looked to the ground and shook his head once. "Everybody got into huntin' somehow." He attempted a weak smile, but failed. Dean told him he was sorry. "Don't be sorry. If it weren't for you, I'd still be lost in there. Or dead." Dean gave him a small nod. "Thank you." Dean's lip curled up along with another nod that seemed to say don't mention it.

Mia's attention was drawn to the door of the room when Sam entered. "So, uh, stoner boy wasn't in his dorm. My guess is he's long gone by now."

"He ain't much of a stoner." Bobby said holding a piece of paper. Mia and Dean made sounds of interest. "His names Jeremy frost. Full on genius. Hundred-and-sixty IQ. Which is saying somethin', considering his dad took a baseball bat to his head." The three younger hunters looked at each other with looks of slight shock. "Here's father of the year." Bobby held up a piece of paper that Sam took. "He died before Jeremy was ten."

"He looks like a real sweetheart." Sam said as he handed the paper to Dean who looked at it then handed it Mia. She looked at it briefly before she handed it back to Bobby from where she sat next to Dean.

"The injury gave him Charcot-Wilbrand, he hasn't dreamt since." Bobby said.

"Till he started dosing the dream drug." Dean popped in and Bobby agreed. "How'd he know how to dig up your worse nightmare and throw it at you?"

Bobby made a hell-if-I-know face. "He was rooting around in my skull. God know's what he saw in there." Bobby answered with a small laugh.

"How'd he get in there in the first place?" Sam asked.

"Yeah, I thought he needed your DNA you get in." Mia added with a curious look at Bobby.

"Yeah." Bobby answered sounding disappointed in himself. "Before I know it was him, he offered me a beer. I drank it. Dumbest friggen' thing."

"Oh, I don't know. It wasn't that dumb." Dean said with an awkward laugh that got everyone's attention.

"Dean… you didn't." Sam asked more than said and Mia knew by the look on his face that Dean had accepted the drink.

"You idiot." Mia said with an accusing look that he returned with a defensive one.

"Hey I was thirsty, sue me." He popped off to her.

"Hey, I just might, because now he can come after _you_, Dean." She relied with a slight glare.

"Yeah, he can come after either one of you." Sam added reminding her that Jeremy had both Bobby and Dean's DNA.

Dean sighed and placed his hand on the back of Mia's head, trying to calm her and let her know that everything was going to be okay. "Well, we'll just have to find him first."

"We better work fast and coffee up. Because the one thing we _cannot_ do is fall asleep." Bobby said and everyone sighed. They got to work immediately on trying to figure out where Jeremy could be.

* * *

~TWO DAYS LATER~

Mia sat in the back seat of the Impala going over papers that she had looked through a thousand times. "This Jeremy guy's not a friggin' ghost. Where the hell could he be?" Dean yelled making her sit up and rest her chin on the back of the seat.

"Dean, you sure you don't want me to drive? You seem a little…caffeinated." Sam asked.

"Thanks for the news flash, Edison." Dean yelled before his phone started ringing. Mia and Sam looked at each other and shook their heads. Dean had been on edge every since she had woken up that morning. Then again, if she hadn't slept in two days she would be jumpy too. "Tell me you got somethin'." Dean yelled into the phone that he hastily answered. "Yeah." He paused listening to who was on the other side. "What the hell Bobby!" Mia flinched at Dean's yelling before she gave Sam a small smile. It was bad, but Dean being overly caffeinated was both annoying and amusing. "Sorry, I'm sorry. I'm just…I'm tired. What's Bela got?" he asked before pausing again. "Great! Well, I'm just gonna go blow my brains out now." Dean said before he hung up the phone and hit the steering wheel with the hand that had been holding the phone.

After a while of driving Dean pulled over to the side of the road. "Alright, that's it. I'm done."

Mia and Sam gave each other confused looks. "What are you doing?" Sam asked.

"I'm taking myself a long overdue nap." Dean answered as he leaned back and got comfortable.

"What?!" Mia and Sam asked at the same time.

"Dean, Jeremy can come after you." Sam said trying to stop his brother.

"That's the idea." Dean said in a flat voice with his eyes still closed.

"I'm sorry have you hit your head? Have you ingested too much caffeine or suddenly decide to start smoking something?" Mia asked leaning further over the seat to look at him.

"We can't find him and I'm tired of lookin'. So let him come to me. Mia can dream snoop on me and tell Bobby his location when I find it out."

"Dean, no. I'm not letting you do that. I'm not dream snooping on you." Mia argued.

"You're meeting him on his own turf? Where he's basically a god?" Sam asked.

"I can handle it." Dean argued still not opening his eyes.

"Not alone you can't." Sam said as he reached over and plucked one of Dean's hairs.

"Ow!" Dean finally woke up. He looked at his brother like he was stupid and rubbed his head where Sam had pulled the hair from. "What are you doin'?"

"I'm coming with you."

"No you're not." Dean argued with Sam.

"Why not? At least then it will be two against one and we can get the information out of him. Mia can see it and call Bobby. He'll get the guy while he's sleeping." Sam answered and Mia opened her mouth to speak, but Dean cut her off.

"Because I don't want you digging around in my head."

"So Mia can be in your head but I can't?" Sam asked and Dean just nodded once. "Well, too bad, I'm coming." he said as he pulled out the small thermos of extra tea and added the hair to it. He waited until Dean was fully asleep then drank the tea. Just like before his eyes rolled to the back of his head and he passed smooth out.

Mia stood and grabbed Dean's hand from where it rested on his knee and held it in hers. She kept a hold of it as she sat back down and closed her eyes. She was instantly swept away to the dream movie theater where the unstable movie of Sam and Dean was playing. They were sitting in the impala just as they were before, except Mia was no longer in the back seat. "There's someone out there." Sam said at a noise outside the car.

So they got out of the car and headed toward the woods. As they neared the edge of the woods Doris Day's dream a little dream of me started playing and Mia's heart instantly sank. _"Not this Dream again."_ she thought and felt the need to remove her hand from Dean's, but she knew she couldn't. She had to keep watching for the good of everybody. She watched Dean watching his dream with wide eyes before he turned to Sam and said "I've never his this Dream before." He looked around him as if looking for Mia before he mouthed "I'm sorry." He cut his eyes over at his brother's saddened face then back at Lisa. "Stop lookin' at me like that."

"Sorry." Sam said before Lisa told Dean she loved him then disappeared into thin air to reveal the dark trees and grass that the bright image of her had been covering. Mia could hear footsteps through the dead grass before Sam spotted who it was and Mia's point of view shifter to Jeremy. "Dean." Sam got his brother attention.

Mia suddenly got dizzy as they started running after Jeremy. Her point of view shifted and dodged around the trees and bushes that went by in blurs. All of a sudden Sam was nowhere to be seen and Dean stopped running, when he turned around the trees transformed into wallpaper that covered the walls of a hallway. "Okay?" he said as he took in his new surroundings. Just like before with Bobby, her point of view slid backwards as if she was being pulled down the hall.

Dean started walking towards her and when he got to the end of the hall her view swung around to look at him from the back. The door opened for him. As he entered they saw someone sitting at a desk, clicking the lamp on and off. "Jeremy?" Dean asked, but when the person turned around it wasn't Jeremy, it was Dean.

"Hey, Dean." Second Dean said as he stood from the chair at the desk.

"Well, aren't you a handsome son of a gun?" first Dean asked making second Dean raise and eyebrow at him.

"We need to talk." Second Dean said.

"I get it. I get it." First Dean said with a cocky smile. "I'm my own worst nightmare, that it? Huh?" he asked as he started walking around second Dean. "Kinda like the Superman III junkyard scene?"

Second Dean started walking too, so that they were circling each other. They whole thing was making Mia dizzy again. "Joke all you want, smart-ass. But you can't lie to me. I know the truth. I know how dead you are inside. How worthless you feel. I know how you look into a mirror and hate what you see." Second Dean's face was hard and flat.

Mia squeezed Dean's hand as she tried to will the threatening tears away.

"Sorry, Pal, it's not gonna work." First Dean said with a cocky smile. "You're not real."

"Sure I am. I'm you." Flat faced second Dean said.

"I don't think so." First Dean said, "You see this is my siesta, not yours. All I gotta do is snap my fingers and you go bye-bye." Dean raised his left hand with a cocky smile on his face and snapped. Nothing happened and his smile faltered. It turned confused when he kept snapping and nothing happened.

"I'm not going anywhere. Neither are you." Second Dean said making the still open door behind him slam closed and lock. "Like I said, we need to talk." Dean and Dean started circling again, staring each other down. "I mean, you're going to hell and you won't lift a finger to stop it. Talk about low self-esteem. Then again, it's not much of a life worth saving now is it?"

Mia sighed and made herself keep holding Dean's hand. _"Wake up, Dean. Come on, wake up."_ Mia's thoughts were echoed by Dean in his Dream.

"After all, you've got nothing, ouside of Sam and that slutty little girlfriend of yours." Second Dean taunted. "You know what's going to happen when you die don't you?" Second Dean asked with a glare in his eyes. "When you're gone and she's hurting, sad, numb and lonely…she's going to jump into bed with the first schmuck that shows her a little attention."

"That's not true." First Dean said now getting upset.

"Oh it's true and you know it." Second Dean snapped.

First Dean remained silent with his hands fisted at his sides.

A pain shot through Mia's chest and tears stung the backs of her eyes. She breathed out a wavering breath as her hands started to shake.

"You are nothing. You're as mindless and obedient as an attack dog." Second Dean taunted.

"That's not… true." First Dean said with a small shake of his head.

"No?" Second Dean asked, staring first Dean down harshly. "What are the things you want? What are the things that you dream? I mean, your car, that's Dad's. Your favorite leather jacket, Dad's. Your music, Dad's. Do you even have an original thought?" first Dean scoffed, but second kept on talking. "No. No, all there is, is 'watch out for Sammy. Look after your little brother, boy!' you can still hear your dad's voice in your head, can't you? Clear as a bell."

Mia didn't know what to make of what she was seeing. Were these Dean's real thoughts or was it just Jeremy messing with Dean's head. Either way the tears that Mia had been fighting were now slipping down her cheeks. "Just shut up." First Dean said, still with the smile that brought out the lines near his eyes.

"When you think about it…all he ever did was train you, boss you around." Second Dean moved to stand chest to chest with first. "But Sam…Sam he doted on. Sam he loved." First Dean warned him to shut up again. "Dad knew who you really were. A good soldier and nothing else. Daddy's blunt little instrument." First Dean's face no longer held the smile it once did. "Your own father didn't care whether you lived or died. Why should you?"

"Son of a bitch!" first Dean yelled as he shoved second, making his fly into the back wall of the hotel room they stood in. "My father was an obsessed bastard!" he yelled as he beat the shit out of his second self. "All that crap he dumped on me, about protecting Sam, that was his crap!" he yelled as he held second Dean against the wall. "He was the one who couldn't protect his family!" he hit second Dean across the face twice with his double barrel. "He's the one who let mom die. Who wasn't there for Sam. I always was. He wasn't fair. I didn't deserve what he put on me. And I don't deserve to go to hell!" first Dean pulled back from second and aimed his double barrel at him.

Mia jumped when he fired two consecutive shots off, but she didn't let go of his hand. She just watched as second Dean fell limply against the wall. First Dean just stood there, staring down at him self when all of a sudden second Dean's eyes turned black and he sat up. "You can't escape me, Dean. You're gonna die. And this? This is what you're gonna become." His voice took on a whole new level of evil.

In a flash evil Dean disappeared and the brothers jerked awake. Dean in the processes of waking up tried to jerk his hand from hers, but she was holding on too tightly. He turned to her looking half asleep, to see her wet cheeks. She tried to let his hand go, knowing that he probably wanted her to, but instead he clenched on tighter. She gave him a weak smile.

"So, Maria, what all did you see?" a breathless Sam asked pulling them from their moment.

"Uh, just Dean, I didn't see you after the woods." She answered not dropping her hand from Dean's.

"Well what happened on his end?" he asked with a creased browed look between the two.

"Nothing." They answered together before Maria asked where Sam disappeared to.

"Jeremy found me." Sam answered vaguely.

"And?" Dean prompted for more information.

"And I killed him." Mia and Dean stared at Sam with wide eyes.

* * *

"Come on, Bela, you bitch. Pick up." Mia said as she paced back and forth with Dean's cell phone in her hand. She would have used her own, but she knew that Bela really wouldn't answer her calls.

About that time, Bobby and Sam walked into the room. "Hey you guys seen Bela?" Dean asked. "She's not in her room and she's not answering her phone."

"She must have taken off" Sam replied.

"Come on, when does Bela ever just take off. She likes to make a dramatic exit." Maria scoffed. "That would just be weird."

"Yeah, well if you ask me what's weird is why she helped us in the first place." Bobby spoke up.

"I thought you saved her life." Dean said, confused.

"What the hell are you talkin' about?" Bobby asked.

"The thing at flagstaff." Mia said as she handed Dean his cell phone back and stood next to him.

"That thing at Flagstaff was an amulet. I gave her a good Deal, that's all." Bobby tried to clear things up, but just made them all more confused.

They looked at each other trying to figure out what was going on. "Well, then why did-" Sam started, but trailed off.

"You better check your pockets." Bobby informed them with a confused glare.

They checked their pockets while Mia was one step ahead of them. "Shit. No, no, please god no." she grumbled under her breath as she headed over to the safe. She quickly twisted the dial and jerked the box open while Bobby scolded the boys for literally checking their pockets.

The guys turned to her to see an empty safe. "The colt. Bela stole the colt."

"Damn it, Boys." Bobby scolded yet again.

"See this is why I didn't want you to call that bitch in the first place." Mia said, but she got ignored by Dean who started packing his bag.

"Pack your crap." He ordered.

"Why? Where are we going?" Sam asked as he turned to watch his brother.

"We're gonna go hunt the bitch down." Sam and Mia gave each other looks before they all started packing.

A few minutes later they had their things packed away and tossed into the trunk of the impala. They all got in and shut the doors. "Hey, Sam, Mia." Dean said getting their attention and Mia took her ear buds out of her ears. "I've been doing some thinking. And…well, the thing is…I don't wanna die." Mia knew he was saying this because of his dream. "I don't want to go to hell."

Mia cleared her throat and tried to come up with something to say, but she ended up just staring out of her window. "Alright. Yeah." Sam whispered, but Mia didn't look. "We'll find a way to save you."

"Okay, good." Dean shakily replied. All Mia could do was reach up between the door and Dean's seat and rest her hand on his shoulder. Dean looked back at her, but she was still just looking out the window. He knew that she had seen his dream and knew where what he had said was coming from. Which meant that he also knew that she had seen this Lisa dream for a second time. He wondered if she was mad about all of it, but that would be a conversation for another time. For now, he cranked the car and drove off.

**A/N:** Okay peeps, I need your help. The next episode is mystery spot… should I write a chapter for it or just skip it? Please drop me a review and tell me what you think.


	17. Chapter 17

**Disclaimer:** See chapter one.

**Sleeping With The Ally**

**Chapter 17:** **Mystery Spot.**

The engine of the impala purred as Dean drove down a dark road going who knows where. They had been working night and day looking for Bela. Most nights they all slept in the car. Dean glanced back at Sam. He his big frame stretched from one end of the back seat to the other. His head rested on the crook of his arm that sat against the drivers side door and a light snore escaped his parted lips. The corner of Dean's lip pulled up into a half smile, glad that his brother was getting some rest, before he turned his attention back to the practically empty road.

He turned on the radio and lowered the volume to a light hum. Mia stirred in her sleep and Dean glanced down, afraid that he had woken her with the music. She just stretched a little. Her head, that rested on his outer thigh, snuggled into him and her hand moved to rest on his knee. He smiled down at her, happy that she was resting peacefully. She sighed when the tips of his fingers lightly swept her hair out of her face. Now he could see her closed eyes, dark pink parted lips and lightly freckled, straight nose. He let his hand rest on her cheek and neck. While his thumb slid lightly back and forth over her jaw line his eyes turned back to the road.

He loved how her freckles only showed in certain lighting. Lighting like that in the bar he found her in on that fated night. Thinking of her freckles made him think of the tiny ones that peppered his own face. Would their kids have freckles? That question pulled his thought process to a grinding halt. Of coarse their children wouldn't have freckles. He was going to hell soon. He would never get the chance to have kids with her. Just like he never got the chance to be a father to Ben. Without warning the image of a little girl, the same age as Ben, with Mia's wavy brown hair, his bright green eyes and their freckles flashed through his head and a tear slid down his face.

Mia inhaled a deep breath and stretched again. When she started to get up he quickly took his hand from her face to brush the tear away. Mia glanced back at Sam to see that he was still sleeping. "You're still driving." She observed as she slid over to Dean who wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

"Yeah. I'm not sleepy and I got nothin' else better to do so…" he said with a glance at her and a tight smile.

"You've been driving for hours. Pull over and get some sleep…please?" She whispered, not wanting to wake Sam. Dean did as asked and pulled the car off of the road into a dead end drive way and killed it. "Hey, are… Are you okay?" she asked as she reached up and held his hand that rested on her shoulder.

"Yeah, why?" he asked as he took his arm from around her and moved to rest his back against the door.

"I don't know. I just got the feeling that you were unsettled…or upset or somethin'." She said only to get a shrug from Dean. "It's probably nothing." Dean pulled her to rest her back against his chest. He wrapped his arms around her to rest them on hers that were crossed over her stomach and she laid her head against his shoulder. She tried to go to sleep, but it didn't come and she could tell by the way that Dean's thumb rubbed her arm that he wasn't asleep either. "Dean?" she asked to get his attention and he hummed sleepily, letting her know he was listening. "I love you." She didn't know why she felt the need to remind him, but she did.

He was glad that she couldn't see the pained smile on his face. "Love you too, Mia." She smiled at the low tone of his voice as she kissed his hand and snuggled into him. It wasn't long after that they both fell asleep.

* * *

They had been driving for the last two weeks looking for Bela just to come up dry. They were all aggravated and tired, but Mia was growing to hate Bela more and more. They needed to rest somewhere other than in the Impala. So Sam found them a case to work on until they got a decent lead on her and they now sat in a hotel room eating pizza. It was a little awkward considering this was the first time they all shared a room since Mia and Dean had officially gotten together.

Mia and Dean sat on their bed eating the Hawaiian pizza that Mia requested. "You know I didn't think pineapple on pizza would be that great, but this it pretty good." Sam said as he sat on the foot of his bed and turned to a smiling Mia. When the pizza was gone and the black and white movie was over, Mia gathered her shower supplies and headed to the bathroom.

When she came back out the brothers were arguing about what to watch, but as she pulled her wet hair into a bun atop her head and slid into the bed closest to the back wall, the tv was turned off and Dean slid in next to her on the side that was closer to the bed that his brother, who had claimed the bed closer to the door, was sleeping in. Not too long after they laid down, the lights were turned off and the room fell comfortably silent. "Night Sam." Mia said aloud. Sam returned the gesture before she turned to Dean. "Night Babe." She said as she placed her hand on his side and snuggled into him.

"Night Mia." Dean said before he placed a long goodnight kiss upon her lips.

* * *

Mia jerked awake as the alarm clock on the nightstand between the beds went off. Asia's heat of the moment blared and she sat up to see Dean already awake, sitting on his side of the bed with his right foot propped up on it while he tied his boot. "Rise and shine people." Dean yelled over the music as he finished up with his shoes.

"Dude, Asia?" Sam asked from where he still sat in bed looking just as sleepy as Mia felt.

"Come on, you love this song and you know it." Dean replied.

"Yeah, and if I ever hear it again I'm going to kill myself." Sam replied.

Dean reached over and turned the music up. "What? I'm sorry I can't hear you.". Mia sighed and flopped back down into the bed as she pulled the covers over her face. Dean turned to her and started poking her in her sides not knowing that she was extremely ticklish. "Come on Mia, quit squirming and get out of bed." He laughed as she squealed and tried to break free.

He stopped tickling her to turn to Sam and point at him as he mouthed the lyric's and nodded his head to the beat. He kept nodded his head as he went to the area of the room where the sinks and bathroom was at. Mia grabbed fresh clothes and headed to the bathroom to change. When she came out Sam and Dean stood at the sink. Dean was gargling obnoxiously while Sam stared at the messy tube of toothpaste that his brother had used. She just smiled at the them as she pulled her neon green toothbrush and perfectly clean tube of cinnamon toothpaste out of her bathroom bag and proceeded to brush her teeth while walking around the room, putting away the tank top and shorts she had slept in.

A few minutes later Mia and Sam waited by the open motel room door for Dean to be ready to go get breakfast. "Whenever you're ready, Dean." Sam said while Dean walked around the room searching for something. He was pulling stuff out of his bag when his hand came out with a black and neon pink lace bra. "This yours?" he asked his brother with a straight face.

Mia's face burned bright red as she rushed over and jerked the item from his hand to shove it into her back. "You're such an idiot sometimes." She scolded as she punched him in the arm while giving Sam an apologetic smile. Sam just scratched his head and looked at the floor. "Now who's ready for some breakfast?" Dean asked excitedly as he headed out the door with a cheeky smile on his face.

It was only a short walk from the motel to the diner they planned on eating at and when they walked into the small town place, Mia noticed a skinny man in a dingy brown coat sitting at the counter. "Can't stay unless you order something Cal." The plump red headed waitress said with a sad smile at the man. "You know the rules." The man pushed some change toward her and asked for a coffee that she gladly pored him.

"Hey, Tuesday, Pig and a poke." Dean said with a dopy smile as Maria slid into the booth and Sam slid in beside her putting her against the wall.

"Do you even know what that is?" Sam asked making Mia laugh at the face Dean made.

"Do you know what it is?" Dean asked Mia with an attitude induced sway of his head. She didn't get a chance to defend herself before the red headed waitress, Doris, walked up.

"Are you guys ready?" she asked with her pin and pad ready.

"Yes. I have the special, a side of bacon and coffee." Dean answered.

"Make it two coffees and a short stack." Sam spoke up.

Doris smiled down at her pad as she wrote down Sam's order. "And for you miss?" she asked Mia with a pleasant smile.

"Uh, no coffee for me. I'll have orange juice and the three cheese omelet with a side of pan sausage." Maria ordered with a smile.

Doris smiled back as she finished writing down the order. "You got it." She said as she walked off.

"I'm telling you guys, this job is small fry. We should be spending our time hunting down Bela." Dean said with a glance at Mia before he turned his eyes to the window.

"Okay, sure let's get right on that. Where is she again?" Sam asked making Dean tell him to shut up.

"Come on guys. Can you not argue please?" Mia spoke up, but got ignored.

"In the meantime we have this." Sam said as he pulled some papers out of his jacket pocket and handed them to Dean. Dean looked at the paper for a minute before he passed it to Mia. They started discussing the case of professor Dexter Hasselback who disappeared on his way to visit the Broward county mystery spot.

They were looking at a pamphlet of the so call mystery spot when the waitress showed up. "Two coffees, black, orange juice and some hot sauce for the-" the hot sauce she had on the platter wobbled before falling off to shatter on the floor. "Oops, crap. Sorry." She said to them with a scrunched up face before she turned to the front and yelled "Cleanup!"

After they ate their breakfast they walked along the sidewalk on the way back to the motel. A sandy long hair dog barked at them as they walked bye. "Sam, you know places like this are only tourist traps right?" Dean asked as he reached across her and took the pamphlet out of his brothers hands. "You know, balls rolling up hill. Furniture nailed to the ceiling. The only danger's to your wallet." Dean laughed and folded the piece of paper back up.

"Okay look, I'm just saying that there are spots in the world where holes open up and swallow people. The Bermuda triangle, uh Oregon vortex…" Sam listed.

Mia laughed, but silently agreed with Sam. "The Broward county mystery spot?" Dean interrupted.

They were arguing again, so Mia tuned them out and started to enjoy her Tuesday stroll. It wasn't until a blond bumped into Dean that she was pulled from her own head. When she noticed Dean look over his shoulder and check the woman out, Mia backhanded him on his heavily coated arm. "Hey, keep your eyes in your head Bucko." She scolded making Dean smile and throw his arm around her. "You're with me now remember?"

"How could I forget?" he asked before he leaned down and kissed her as they walked. "Anyways, it all sounds a little x files to me." Dean said keeping his arm around Mia as he turned his attention back to his brother.

"What do you want a Pulitzer?" they heard as they walked by two men that were moving a very large desk.

"Alright look, I'm not saying this is really happening, but if it is we gotta check it out. See if we can do something." Sam said.

"Alright, alright. We'll go tonight after they close and get ourselves a nice long look." Dean agreed.

* * *

When they picked the lock on the back door of the mystery spot and opened it up they found themselves in a green and black swirled hallway that was very harsh on the eyes. As they entered the main room they were surrounded by gags and gimmicks, just as Dean had anticipated. "Wow, uncanny." Dean said as he shined his flashlight on a table that was hung from the ceiling. Mia laughed as she turned from him to dip her finger into what was supposed to look like wine that was in a glass sitting next to a turkey that was on a slanted table. She splashed some on the back of Dean's neck making him jump and glare at her.

Sam scanned the table that was hanging from the ceiling with the e.m.f. detector before he moved on to another area. "So, Sam, are you finding anything in this dump?" Mia asked only to get a negative answer.

"Do you have any idea what you're looking for?" Dean asked.

"Uh, Yeah." Sam said unconvincingly making Mia and Dean just look at him. "No."

Mia giggled while Dean shook his head at his little brother. They silently started looking around. Dean looked at a shark that was supposed to look like it was coming out of the wall while Mia looked at set of, see no evil, speak no evil, hear no evil monkeys that sat below the shark.

"What the hell are you doin' here?" they heard someone ask from behind them and they all turned to see an older man holding a shotgun on them. They all pulled guns on the guy.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. We can explain." Dean said holding his gun out to the side to show that he wasn't going to shoot.

"You robbing me?" the guy asked as he turned the shotgun gun on Sam.

"Nobody's robbing you, calm down." Sam said with his back pressed to a green chair that hung from the ceiling.

Dean moved to set his pistol on the ground and the guy turned his shotgun on Dean. "Don't move!" they man yelled.

"I'm just putting the gun down." Dean said as he continued to move the gun slowly to the floor. With a flash and a bang, the shotgun went off and Dean fell to the floor.

"No!" Maria screamed. While Sam ran to his brother, Maria ran at the man. She grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and slammed him into the railing of the stairs. "I ought to break your neck right here and now you son of a bitch." She hissed at the shaking guy.

"Maria!" her head snapped to Sam where he held his brother in his arms. Dean's eyes where now closed and head limp.

She screamed out in pain and frustration as she rammed her forearm into the man's neck with tears streaming down her face.

* * *

Mia jerked awake as the alarm clock on the nightstand between the beds went off. Asia's heat of the moment blared and she sat up to see Dean already awake, sitting on his side of the bed with his right foot propped up on it while he tied his boot. "Rise and shine people." Dean yelled over the music as he finished up with his shoes. "Dude, Asia." Dean pointed at the clock radio and continued to tie his shoe while Maria still sat strait up on bed. Her eyes were glued to the covers that were over the lumps of her feet. _That was a weird dream. Dean…Dean got shot._ She thought to herself, but was pulled out of her head when Dean reached over and started tickling her. She squealed and started trying to get free.

He stopped tickling her to turn to Sam and point at him as he mouthed the lyric's and nodded his head to the beat. He kept nodded his head as he went to the area of the room where the sinks and bathroom was at. Mia grabbed fresh clothes and headed to the bathroom to change. The whole time she was changing she had the overwhelming feeling of déjà vu. When she came out Sam and Dean stood at the sink. Dean was gargling obnoxiously while Sam stared at his brother. Dean noticed Sam staring and spit the water into the sink. "What?" Dean asked flatly.

"I don't know." Sam answered.

"You alright?" Dean asked while patting his face dry.

"No I think I…" Sam trailed off to looked around the room. "Man, I had a weird dream."

Dean picked at his teeth before he noticed the way Mia was staring at him. He just crinkled his brows at her before turning his attention to his brother. "Oh yeah, clowns or midgets?"

Sam just scoffed at Dean. Mia decided to keep the fact that she had also had a weird dream to herself. As they made their way to the diner the feeling of déjà vu still hung over her head. "Drive safely now Mr. Picket." "Yeah yeah." " Can't stay unless you order something call." Different people said as they made their way to the booth and Mia slid in to sit next to the wall and Sam slid in next to her. The things being said around her struck at the déjà vu cords. _Am I starting to have preminitions like Sam used to?_ she asked herself, but brushed it off.

"Hey, Tuesday, pig 'n a poke." Dean said as he looked at the specials menu.

"It's Tuesday?" Sam and Maria asked at the same time receiving an odd looking from Dean.

"Yeah." Dean answered as the waitress showed up and asked what they wanted. Sam and Mia stared at each other while Dean ordered. "Yes, I'll have the special, side of bacon and a coffee." Sam and Mia were still staring at each other, trying to figure out if they were on the same wavelength when Dean cleared his throat getting their attention.

"Nothing for me, thanks." Sam said when he realized that Doris was waiting for their answers.

"Just orange juice for me, I'm not feeling very hungry at the moment." Mia said as she started to bite her nails.

"I'm telling you guys, this job is small fry. We should be spending our time hunting down Bela." Dean said with his arm thrown over the back of the booth. Mia was staring out of the window, trying to figure out what was going on. "Hey." Dean said before he snapped in their faces to get their attention. "You with me?" Dean asked receiving blank looks from them both. "Are you two feeling okay?"

"Do either of you remember this?" Sam asked looking between Dean and Mia.

"Remember what?" Dean asked looking confused.

"This, today, like its…happened before?" Sam explained.

"You mean like Déjà vu?" Dean asked.

"No I mean like it's really happened before." Sam said getting aggravated. Maria just sat there listening to them. The things Sam was saying was explaining everything she was feeling.

"Yeah, like déjà vu."

"No forget about déjà vu. I'm asking you if, if it feels like we're living yesterday all over again."

"Okay, how is that not déjà-?" Dean started to ask, but Sam interrupted him.

"Don't-Don't say it. Just don't even." Sam said making Dean raise his brows at his brothers weird behavior.

"Sam, I know what you're talking about." Maria said just at the waitress walked up. "The hot sauce." Mia whispered when the waitress walked up.

"Coffee black, orange juice, and some hot sauce for the-" as the hot sauce teetered and fell off the tray Sam caught it before it could hit the floor. "Crap. Thanks." She said as Sam handed her the sauce. She sat it on the table and walked away.

"Nice reflexes." Dean complimented and Sam remained silent.

"Sam, can I talk to you outside for a second?" Maria asked as she nudged him out of the booth. They walked outside and to the side of the building where Dean couldn't see them. "You feel like you're living yesterday all over again?" she asked and he nodded. "You said this morning that you had a weird dream?" he nodded and hummed out a positive answer. "I did too, but the more time goes on the more I don't think it was a dream. I mean, Dean got shot and died at the mystery spot in my dream. It feels more like an omen than anything else."

"Yeah, he died like that in my dream too." Sam said looking a little relieved to know that he wasn't crazy. "So what do you think is going on?" he ask and she just shook her head and shrugged her shoulders.

"Now that we're on the same page, let's get back in there." She said and they headed into the diner.

After they watched Dean finish his breakfast they started heading back to the motel. "Sam I'm sorry, but I don't know what the hell y'all are talkin' about." Dean said.

"Okay, look. Yesterday was Tuesday right? But today is Tuesday too." Sam said sounding like he was on the verge of hysteria.

"Yeah, no, good. You're totally balanced." Dean said not looking at his brother or Mia.

"So you don't believe me?" Sam asked right before the blond bumped into Dean. Dean checked her out and Mia slapped him.

"Sam I don't think that was the best way to explain it." Mia said trying to help.

"Well how would you explain it, Maria?" Sam asked.

She shrugged. "Uh, we're living yesterday, which was Tuesday, all over again." She tried, but it didn't sound any better than what Sam had said.

"Look, I'm just saying that it's crazy. I mean even for us crazy. Dingo ate my baby crazy." Mia rolled her eyes. "Hey maybe since you two are both psychic you shared a premonition." Dean said glancing between the two of them.

"No, No way. I mean it was way too vivid." Mia hummed in agreement. "Okay, look we were at the mystery spot and then…"

"And then what?" Dean asked and Mia kept her mouth shut. She wasn't going to tell Dean that he died.

"And then I woke up." Sam finished as they walked by the two men moving the desk.

"Hey Sam." Mia said getting his attention. " Do you think that all of this could have something to do with the mystery spot?" she asked and his face looked as if a light bulb had went off above his head.

"Yeah, we gotta check that place out." Sam agreed and Dean scoffed and looked across his shoulder at Mia.

"Just humor us, okay?" she asked.

"Alright, alright. We'll go tonight after it closes and get ourselves a nice long look." Dean agreed.

"Wait, what?" "No!" Sam and Mia spoke at the same time, freaking Dean out.

"Why not?" Dean asked.

"Uh…let's just go now. Right now. Business hours, nice and crowded." Sam said and finished with an awkward smile.

"God you're a freak." Dean said making his brother sigh and roll his eyes. "Okay, whatever, we'll go now." Dean said aggravated with them as he walked away.

"Smooth, Sam. Real smooth." Mia said with a shake of her head. The two of them started to follow Dean. They had just stepped onto the street when a car came out of nowhere and hit Dean sending him through the air.

"Dean!" Maria screamed as she and Sam ran to where he was lying in the middle of the street. Sam gathered his brother into his arms while Mia placed a hand on his cheek. Blood ran from the scratches that covered his face and ran from his mouth that hug slightly agape. Sam reached out, grabbed Maria's shoulder and pulled her in for a hug.

* * *

Mia jerked awake as the alarm clock on the nightstand between the beds went off. Asia's heat of the moment blared and she sat up to see Dean already awake, sitting on his side of the bed with his right foot propped up on it while he tied his boot. "Rise and shine people." Dean yelled over the music as he finished up with his shoes. This time when Dean started tickling her she simply rolled out of bed to get away from him. Her eyes locked on Sam's where he still sat in bed, breathing hard and looking at his brother as if Dean would die any second. When he looked away from Dean his eyes found hers. "Did he…" Sam asked.

"Get ran over by a car? Yes." Maria finished his sentence and they turned their heads to stare at Dean's back.

Their day progressed like usual until they got to the restaurant. "Hey Tuesday, pin 'n a poke." Dean said with a smile that neither of them returned.

"Okay, would you listen to me Dean? 'Cause I'm flipping out." Sam asked before Doris showed up.

"Are you guys ready?" she asked.

"He'll take the special side of Bacon and a coffee." Maria said as she sat up to get Doris's attention. "Nothing for us please."

"Mia, Baby, I get all tingly when you take control like that." Dean said with a dopey smile as he leaned back and put his arm across the back of the booth.

"On any other occasion I'd be please to hear that, but will you please get serious for two seconds?" Mia snapped looking just as wide eyed and freaked out a Sam did.

"Okay, okay." Dean said as he leaned forward to be closer to Sam and Mia. "I'm listening. So, so you think that the two of you are in some sort of what again?"

"Time loop." Sam answered.

"Like Ground Hog Day?" Dean asked and Sam confirmed. "Uh huh." Dean said with the ghost of a smile hiding behind his strait face.

"So you don't believe us?" Sam asked.

Dean laughed. "It's just a little crazy. Even for us, crazy. You know like uh-"

"Dingo ate my baby crazy?" Sam asked.

Dean's smile faded. "How'd you know I was going to say that?" Dean asked.

"Because you said it yesterday." Mia said making Dean look at her like she was crazy. The waitress walked up with Dean's coffee and when the hot sauce fell this time Sam didn't even have to look at it to catch it. His eyes never left his brothers.

"Nice reflexes." Dean said.

"We knew it was going to happen, Dean." Mia said trying to get him to open his ears and listen to them.

Sam started ranting at Dean who told him to calm down. "Don't tell me to calm down. I can't calm down. I can't because…" Sam stopped talking.

"Because what?" Dean asked looking concerned, finally.

"Because today is the day that you die, Dean." Mia said and Dean didn't miss the unshed tears that clouded her eyes.

"Mia, Baby, I'm not gonna die, not today." He said in a soothing voice as he reached across the table and took her hand.

"Twice now, we've watched you die." Sam said shakily. "And I can't…I won't do it again, okay?" Dean just stared at Sam for a minute before he turned his eyes to Mia, who now had a tear running down her cheek as she stared at the table. "You're just gonna have to believe me." Dean moved his eyes back to his brother. "Please."

"Alright." Dean said as he gave Mia's hand a squeeze. "I still think y'all are nuts, but okay. Whatever this is we'll figure it out." Dean said then Doris showed up with Dean's food. He ate, then they left.

As they walked back down the sidewalk they had basically the same conversation as the previous day. "Alright, alright. We'll go tonight after it closes and get ourselves a nice long look."

"No, Dean we can't. Not at night." Mia spoke up stopping him.

"Why not?" he asked as he looked between her and Sam.

"Because you…" She started but couldn't finish the sentence.

"I what?" he asked, but seeing that he wasn't going to get anything out of Mia he turned to Sam who just looked at him. "I die there?" he asked looking a bit shocked.

"Blown away actually." Sam said.

"Huh. Okay, let's go now." Dean said before he started walking to the street. Mia and Sam both ran and grabbed him by his shoulders to pull him backwards. A split second later the car sped by. Dean started laughing and looked at Sam and Mia who had flat, serious faces.

"Crazy son of a bitch." Mia scoffed to herself as she stared at the retreating car, making Dean squint at her.

"Wait, did he?" Dean asked as he pointed to the old car and the driver that was just as old, Mr. picket.

"Yesterday, yeah." Sam confirmed.

"And?" Dean asked.

"And? And what? You died." Mia said not understanding Dean.

"Did it look cool, like in the movies?" he asked.

"You peed yourself." Sam said, knocking Dean down a notch.

His smile faded and Mia actually smiled for the first time that day. "Of course I peed myself. Man gets hit by a car, you think he was full control over his bladder? Come on." Dean asked before he looked both ways and safely crossed the street. With the possibility of getting hit by a car out of the way they decided to head to the mystery spot and see what all they could find out.

All they found out from Mr. Carpiak, the owner of the place and they guy that shot Dean, was that he never met the professor that went missing and the police that searched the mystery spot never found him. The trio searched the place from top to bottom until closing time then decided to head back to the motel.

As they walked down the dark sidewalk Mia couldn't help but think about how in the last three days, this was the first time she had seen nightfall. "Well, I hate to say it, but that place is exactly what I thought. It's full of crap."

"Then what is it, Dean? What the hell is happening to us?" Sam asked.

"Alright, let me just…" Dean said as they stopped walking. "So everyday I die?"

"Yep." Mia said from where she stood next to Sam.

"And that's when you two wake up again, right?" Dean asked and Sam confirmed. "So let's just make sure I don't die." Sam and Mia just stared at him.

_What do you think we've been trying to do, dummy?_ Mia asked in her head but didn't voice it.

"If I make it to tomorrow, Maybe the loop stops and we can figure all this out." Dean said making things seem way more simple than they were. "It's worth a shot. I say we grab some takeout, head back to the motel, lay low until midnight." Sam and Mia looked at each other then back at Dean and nodded their heads. "Alright, good. Who want's Chinese?" Dean said and took off walking. Two seconds later the desk that the two men had been moving earlier in the day fell and crushed him. Sam and Mia just stared, wide eyed, at the desk.

* * *

Once again the reset button of their life was pressed and Tuesday started all over again. On this day, the fourth Tuesday, Dean choked on the sausage he ordered at breakfast.

Reset button, 5th Tuesday.-He slips in the shower and breaks his neck

Reset button, 6th Tuesday-They eat tacos for lunch and Dean gets food poisoning

Reset button, 7th Tuesday.-Dean's razor electrocuted him when he plugged it in.

Reset button, 8th Tuesday.-Sam decides to tear apart the mystery spot, Dean tries to get the ax from Sam and Sam ends up killing him.

Reset button, 9th Tuesday.-After Sam and Mia decide that they need to investigate everyone in town, Doris catches them breaking into her garden shed and shoots Dean with a bow when she was aiming at Sam.

Reset button, 10th Tuesday.-Randy the cashier shot Dean when they caught Randy stealing money from the register.

Reset button, 11th Tuesday.-After seeing Judge Meyers hopping around his house in a bunny suite, Dean laughed so hard that he tripped over a water hose and landed on a garden gnome who's pointy little hat impaled Dean's neck.

Reset button, 12th Tuesday.-Tony the mechanic shot Dean when they followed Cal who tried to Rob Tony.

Reset button, 13th Tuesday.-Dean got burned alive in the mystery spot.

Reset button, 14th Tuesday.-Mia tied Dean to a chair and wouldn't let him leave or go get anything to eat for the fear of food poisoning. He lasted until ten till midnight then died of the ropes cutting off his circulation.

Reset button, 15th Tuesday.-Dean got ran over again by Mr. Picket because Sam and Mia were arguing and didn't stop him from walking into the street. It was then that they agreed to start steeling the old geezers keys.

After that fifteenth Tuesday, Mia started bury her head in the sand. She was just going through the motions, no longer really living. It was as if she had come to terms with the fact that no matter what they did, there was no saving Dean. She felt as if life was playing a very cruel and sadistic joke on her and Sam.


	18. Chapter 18

**Disclaimer:** See chapter one.

**Sleeping With The Ally**

**Chapter 18:**** Mystery Spot Continued.**

After that fifteenth Tuesday, Mia started burry her head in the sand. She was just going through the motions, no longer really living. It was as if she had come to terms with the fact that no matter what they did, there was no saving Dean. She felt as if life was playing a very cruel and sadistic joke on her.

-101st Tuesday in a row.-

She woke up as she always did, sitting straight up in bed to the sound of the now most annoying song in the universe.

They went to the diner, as always. "Drive safely now Mr. Picket." Yeah, Yeah." "Can't stay unless you order something, Cal. You know the rules." "Coffee." Every word from every person in the restaurant made her feel like shooting herself.

As did the words "Hey. Tuesday, Pig 'n a poke." That came from Dean. Sam sat the old man's keys on the table making Dean stare at them before he looked up at Sam. "What are those?"

"The old man's." Sam answered and Dean looked out of the window at the man who was searching his pockets. "Trust me. You don't want him behind the wheel." When the waitress walked up to the table Dean ordered his usual meal. "Hey Doris. What I'd like is for you to log in some more hours at the archery range. You're a terrible shot."

"How do you know that?" She asked looking a little freaked out.

"Let's just say my friend here is physic." Mia said, her voice dripping with sarcasm as she smiled up at the waitress. When Doris walked off Mia turned her eyes to the table and stared at a burned spot from a cigarette butt. She ignored Dean and Sam's conversation.

"Because this is the hundredth Tuesday in a row Maria and I've been through and it never stops. So yeah, I'm a little grumpy."

Sam's words made her look up in shock. "The hundredth? Wow, feels like the thousandth if you ask me." Dean just looked at her and shook his head as if to shake off the weirdness going on around him. Mia returned her eyes to the burned spot.

"Hot sauce." Sam said a few seconds before he caught the sauce that fell off of the tray. Dean once again complemented his brother's reflexes. "I knew it was gonna happen, Dean. I know everything that's gonna happen."

"You don't know everything." Dean challenged.

"Yeah, I do." Mia had heard all of this before. She found it funny the first three times she heard it, but after that she just tuned out again.

"Yeah right." Sam and Dean spoke in unison. "Nice guess."

"It wasn't a guess." Mia piped up just like she always did for some reason.

"Right, he's a mind reader." They spoke at the same time again. "Cut it out Sam, Sam." Just like always the two leaned forward over the table challenging each other. "You think you're being funny, but you're being really. really childish." They spoke at the same time again. "Sam Winchester wears makeup. Sam Winchester cries his way through sex. Sam Winchester keeps a ruler by the bed and every morning when he wakes up- okay enough!"

Mia still continued to pick at her fingernails not caring about the hot mess that they had become over the past one hundred Tuesdays. Maria didn't tune back into the brothers conversation until she heard Sam say "Dog." And "Where's my dang keys?" right after that the blond woman bumped into them and Dean started to check her out.

"I swear if you check her out one more time I'm going to gouge your eyes out." Dean looked at Maria with raised eyebrows.

"I didn't even check her out." He said with defensiveness.

"One hundredth Tuesday remember." She reminded him.

"Right, hey, all the times we've walked down this street, did I ever do this just to piss you off?" Dean asked as he started walking back to the blond woman. Maria, instead of glaring at him like she normally would have, just stared at him with an open mouth.

"No. He's never done that before." Mia said as she turned her eyes to Sam at the same time he looked at her.

"A hundred Tuesdays, you never bothered to check what she was holding in her hands?" Dean asked Sam who just shrugged. "This is the guy who went missing?" Dean asked and Sam nodded. "That's his daughter back there." Sam grabbed the paper and ran over to the woman. "Hey, that's a cute dog." Dean said and leaned down to pet it. "Somebody need a friend?" a second later the dog brutally attacked Dean and there wasn't a thing Mia could do about it.

-Reset button-

The previous day, day one hundred, woke Mia up a little and she decided that they needed to start researching the man that brought them here in the first place, Professor Dexter Hasselback. Mia sat beside Dean at the diner re-reading the newspaper article while Sam googled the professor. "So the police report says Dexter Hasselback is a professor, but that's not all he is." Sam spoke, but Mia's attention turned to the guy who sat at the counter across from their booth. He was always just there, so she had never thought to read his mind. But today she did and as soon as she projected herself into the mans head her nose started to bleed.

"Whoa, Mia, hey are you okay?" Dean asked as he grabbed a napkin and handed it to her.

She took it and pressed it to her nose. "Yeah, I think I am. Sam, that guy." Mia said as she motioned to the man who was walking out of the door. "The one who always sits right there." She pointed to the mans empty plate. "I read his mind, he's not a demon, but I don't think he's human either." She said as she took the napkin from her nose just to have more blood drip out. Whatever this guy was…it was strong.

"Yeah, on top of the fact that you've never had a nosebleed that bad before, in all of the past hundred Tuesdays, that guy always had maple syrup." Sam said making Mia give him a questioning look. Sam pointed to the plate. "Strawberry."

"It's a free country. A man cant choose his own syrup. What have we become?" Dean said with a laugh.

"Not in this diner. Nothing in this place ever changes. Ever. Except Mia and Me."

-Reset button.-

As always Asia's heat of the moment blared on the radio and the two of them shot straight up in bed. They looked at each other past Dean knowing that they were thinking the same thing. They waited until Dean went to the bathroom before they started discussing what just happened. Whatever's going on has to have something to do with him. "It has to be that guy. Everything was fine until I tried to read his mind. What could have the kind of power it would take to make us be stuck in a time loop?" Mia said and Sam nodded.

They stood there in thought until a light bulb went off in Sam's head. "A trickster."

"Okay. I've never encountered one of those before, but I'll trust you. What does it take to kill a trickster?" she asked.

"A certain kind of stake. There's one in the Impala. We're going after this thing today." They agreed then went about the day as normal. "So you think you're caught in some kind of what again?" Dean asked.

"Eat your breakfast." Sam said not taking his eyes off of the guy who sat across from them. When the guy got up, Sam followed them out with the stake in a paper bag.

"What's in the bag?" Dean asked not receiving an answer from either of them as they headed outside.

When Sam caught up to the guy, grabbed him and pressed him against the iron fence with the blood dipped stake held at his neck. "I know who you are. Or should I say what?" Sam said still pressing the stake into the man's neck. The man begged not to be killed and Dean tried to get his brothers attention, but Mia just shushed him. "It took us a long time, but we got it. It's your m.o. that gave you away. Going after pompous jerks, giving them their just deserts. You're kind loves that don't they?"

"Yeah, sure. Okay. Just put the stake down." The guy shakily said but Sam didn't back down.

Dean tried to get him to back off, but Sam and Mia both refused. "There's only one creature powerful enough to do what you're doing. Making reality out of nothing. Sticking people in time loops. In fact you'd pretty much have to be a god. You'd have to be a trickster." Sam said not letting the guy go.

"Mister, my names Ed Colman. My wife's name's Amelia. I got two kids. For crying out loud I sell ad space." The man cried.

"Don't lie to me!" Sam yelled. "I know what you are. We've killed one of your kind before." At Sam's statement the trickster changed into a different person. Sam and Dean made faces of realization.

"Actually, buco, you didn't." the trickster said with a smile.

"Why are you doing this to us?" Maria asked.

"You're joking right? These chuckleheads tried to kill me last time." The trickster said before turning his eyes back to Sam. "Why wouldn't I do this?"

"Hasselback, what about him?" Dean asked.

"That putz?" The trickster asked, "He said he didn't believe in wormholes, so I dropped him in one." The trickster started laughing, not receiving one from the rest of the group. "Then you guys showed up. I made you the second you hit town."

"So this is fun for you? Killing Dean over and over again?" Sam asked.

"One? yes, it is fun. And two? This is sooo not about killing Dean." The trickster answered. "This joke is on you, Sam. Well you and Maria, but mostly you." Maria scoffed at him while Dean was just watching in interest and confusion. "Watching your brother," he looked over a Maria, "Your boyfriend, die every day. Forever."

"You son of a bitch." Sam and Maria said at the same time.

"How long will it take you to realize? You can't save your brother…no matter what."

"Oh, yeah? If I kill you this all ends now." Sam said as he pressed the stake harder into the tricksters neck.

"Uh, oh, hey. Whoa. Okay. Okay. Look. I was just playing around. You cant take a joke? Fine. You're out of it. Tomorrow, you two will wake up, it'll be Wednesday." The trickster said. "I swear."

"You're lying." Mia said with her arms folded over her chest and a scowl on her face.

"If I am, you know where to find me. Having pancakes at the diner." The thee of them looked at each other before Sam shook his head.

"No, easier to just kill you."

"Sorry, kiddo. Can't have that." The trickster said as he snapped his fingers.

The two of them woke up to the alarm clock blaring Huey Lewis and the news' "Back in time". Sam looked wide eyed at Maria who returned the look.

"No Asia." They said at the same time.

Dean gave them a funny look, but brushed off the weird behavior. "Yeah, I know. This station sucks." He said from where he stood in the sink area brushing his teeth.

Sam looked over at the clock. "It's Wednesday!" Sam exclaimed.

"Yeah, which usually comes after Tuesday." Dean said as Mia jumped up off of the bed and ran around it to pick up the alarm clock.

"No freaking way. Wednesday's the best day ever." She sighed as she hugged the alarm clock and flopped back onto the bed. Sam started laughing, the first real laugh she had heard from him in god knows how many days.

Dean just looked at them like they were crazy. "Turn that thing off would you?" he asked as he turned to spit in the sink.

"Are you kidding? This isn't the most beautiful song you've ever heard?" Sam asked as he threw the covers off and jumped up out of bed. Maria started laughing and stood from the bed to hold the radio up as if it were Simba from The Lion King.

"No." Dean said as he walked back into the room. "Jeez. How many Tuesdays did you two have?"

"I don't know, I lost count." Sam said as he put on his shirt and Mia sat down the radio to pull a t-shirt over her tank top.

"Hey Dean, what do you remember?" she asked as she straightened the hem of the shirt.

"I remember the two of you were pretty whacked out of it yesterday. Then I remember running into the trickster. That's all I remember."

"Alright. Pack your stuff. Let's get out of Town. Now." Sam said, while buttoning up his shirt.

"No Breakfast?" Dean asked sounding disappointed.

"No." Mia and Sam said at the same time making Dean look between them with raised brows.

"No breakfast." Sam said again.

A little while later Dean left to put his things in the trunk. She and Sam where upstairs packing the rest of their stuff. "I don't know about you, but I've never been more happy to see a Wednesday in my life." Sam said while shoving a shoe into his bag.

"Yeah." Mia laughed and zipped up her back before she threw it over her shoulder. "Hey Sam," she said making sure he knew she was being serious, "I'm sorry I kinda checked out on you there for a while."

Sam zipped up his bag and gave her a sad smile. "It's fine. I wanted to check out too, I did there for a bit, but…" he sighed and looked at the floor for a second before he looked back up at her. "Just glad we're all alive." They shared a sad smile before he grabbed her shoulder and pulled her in for a hug. "Dean's lucky to have you, Maria."

They were pulling back from the hug when they heard a gun go off and rushed outside to see Cal running away and Dean dead on the ground. They both rushed over and grabbed Dean. "No, no, no, no. Not today, Dean. This wasn't supposed to happen today." Mia cried. Her tears slipping off her cheeks to fall on his shirt.

"Dean, Dean? Come on man." Sam said before he sighed and closed his eyes waiting for the trickster to press the reset button of their lives. But nothing ever happened and the two of them realized that this was really happening and Dean was dead for good.

As realization set in Sam started sobbing harder and hugged Dean tighter while Mia doubled over onto her hands and knees and threw up what little was in her stomach.

* * *

It had been six months. Six months of nothing but driving, takeout hotels and looking for the trickster. Yeah, they had worked a few cases in those six months, but that was only because of Maria convincing Sam to take a break from the trickster for two seconds.

Maria had cried herself two sleep for the first three months and turned to Bobby for condolence whenever she needed to talk. She tried turning to Sam, but he was unreachable. It was as if he were a robot, programmed to take out the trickster and nothing else. He showed no emotion, no empathy, no sadness…nothing.

She was still coming to terms with what had happened, but she had accepted it. She didn't like it and she missed Dean every second of ever day, but she had accepted that he wasn't coming back. Sam believed that finding and killing the trickster would help. He thought that the trickster was responsible and that if they killed him that it would reset them to that Wednesday. Mia believed otherwise. It all felt too real to be the workings of the trickster.

They had stopped at a motel and Sam started in on more trickster research. Maria chose to watch tv instead. "Maria." Sam got her attention as he pushed his chair back from the desk where his laptop sat, and stood up to grab his coat. "I think I know where he is. We're close. Come on."

"No, Sam." She said as she stood up and turned off the tv. "I've tried to convince you that this guy is a lost cause, and I've tried supporting you and helping you, but I'm done. I'm not going." She crossed her arms over her tank top clad chest.

Sam, with a flat face, just nodded his head and continued to put on his coat. "Fine. I'll go without you." He grabbed his bag of weapons and headed to the door.

"Sam!" he stopped, his hand resting on the knob as his blank eyes stared at her. "Don't go, please?" she asked and he turned without a word and left.

Hours later Maria stood under the stream of a shower letting hot water cascade through her long hair and over her tense shoulders. The lavender scent of her body wash and shampoo hung heavily in the air as she stepped out and dried off. She had just slipped on a matching blue and black bra and panty set when she heard the hotel room door shut. She stuck her head out of the bathroom to see Sam shuck off his jacket to reveal a huge blood stain on his shirt.

She quickly pulled an oversized tank top over her head before she rushed out of the bathroom to Sam. He had cut a slit in the blood soaked fabric and held it up to examine his bullet wound. "Sam, how… Who shot you?" she asked from where she stood a few feet away with a slacked jaw.

"Doesn't matter. They got away." He said flatly as he pored some peroxide over the hole then started digging for the bullet. He didn't even flinch from the pain.

When he grabbed a needle and started to stitch himself up Maria put her hand on his stopping him. "Here, let me." She took the needle from him and motioned to the chair at the desk. "Sit." He did as asked as she pulled up a chair to sit next to him. He watched her as she slowly started stitching up the circle in his abdomen. The whole time he worked she could feel his intense gaze on her. She only looked away from her work when she tied off the last stitch. "I asked you not to go." She quietly spoke as she got up and headed to the bathroom to get a wet rag to clean him up before she tried to dress the wound.

"I know." Sam answered shortly just like he had been since Dean's death.

"Then why did you go?" she asked as she turned from the sink and walked back over to the chair.

"You know why." He answered as he returned his gaze to her face. "I have to kill the trickster."

She just sighed at the sentence that she had heard leave his lips a thousand times. She just thought quietly as she wiped the blood off of his taunt stomach, placed a few gauze pads over the hole and taped it down. With the wound cared to he pulled the dirty shirt over his head and started putting his things from the hunt away. "Sam," she said making him turn around to look at her, "please don't hate me for saying this, but maybe the trickster had a point." Sam just rolled his eyes and went back to what he was doing. "Sam, would you just talk to me please." She begged, desperate for an emotion other than silent stoniness out of him. "Sam, please." She said again only to get nothing from him. "Sam!"

"What!?" he turned to her with aggravation plain on his face. It wasn't what she was looking for, but it was an emotion, it was something. Without thinking about it or even knowing why she did it, she threw her arms around his neck and kissed him. He was shocked for a second before his hands moved to grip the sides of her head and kissed her back. As they kissed, her hands stayed on his neck while his moved to her hips, gripped them and picked her up. Her legs wrapped around him out of reflex and he walked them backwards to the bed. As he sat her down an overwhelming wave of guilt over came her and she pulled away but Sam started kissing her neck. "Sam…Sam, stop." She grunted as she as she put her hand on his chest and gently pushed.

This finally got his attention. "What? What's wrong?" he asked as backed up to look into her eyes. She sat there for a minute trying to figure out what the hell was going on. "What's the matter?" he asked making her finally look at him.

"I don't know. I don't know what I was thinking." She said turning her eyes to the floor.

"You kissed me first, it thought it's what you wanted." He said touching her scantly clad shoulder just for her to pull away.

"I don't know why I kissed you. All I know is that you need to back off the trickster. You need to pay attention to the people around you. I mean when was the last time you checked your voicemail. Bobby's tried calling you a thousand times." She said as she stood and picked up his phone to flip it open and see a message that said he had 50 missed calls and 20 voice mails.

"I know, Maria, you're right. I'll call Bobby after I get some sleep." He said as he took the phone out of her hand and put it in his pocket.

But Maria wasn't satisfied. "That's not all Sam." Her eyes started to water, but she blinked the tears away. "Seven months ago you and I had just lost the one person we both cared most about in this world. And you checked out."

"I know, I'm sorry." Sam reached and hand out to pull her into a hug, but she took a step back from him.

A tear she couldn't blink away slid down her cheek. "We needed each other, should have _been there _for each other and you pulled away. I needed someone who knew what I had been through, who knew exactly how I was feeling. Someone that I could talk to and understand me. I needed _you_, Sam." Tears now streamed freely down her face.

Sam reached out with a gentle hand and swiped one away. She didn't pull back this time. "I know. I'm here for you now." he said with a care crinkled brow. She gave him a look that asked if he really was. "I'm here." He reassured her and she crossed her arms over her chest. "I won't check out again. Come here." He wrapped her arms around her shoulders and pulled her in for a hug that she returned.

"So your gonna stop lookin' for the trickster?" she asked as they pulled back.

He shook his head no. "I can't Maria you know that. If I want my brother back I have to find the trickster and make him bring us back to that Wednesday."

Maria sighed and started gathering up her things that were scattered around the room. "Fine it you won't stop them I'm gone. I can't continue to watch you sink further and further into this black hole that you've immersed yourself in." she pulled on a pair of pants and switched her tank top for a t-shirt, not caring that Sam was watching.

She had finished packing her bags and had them thrown over her shoulders as he headed for the door. But Sam grabbed her hand at the last second, stopping her. "I can't stop looking for him." She rolled her eyes and tried to take her hand from his, but he wouldn't let go. "But I promise, if you stay with me, that I will back off. We'll focus on other cases while we try to find him."

"You promise?" she asked, straight faced and breathless from packing so quickly.

"I promise, just… Stay, please?" he asked with a wrinkled brow and puppy dog eyes.

She nodded as she walked back over to her bed and tossed the bags at the foot. When she turned back to Sam he pulled her in for another hug. Sam moved to let his forehead rest on hers and their green eyes met. His right hand slid up her back to rest on the side of her face before he place his open lips on hers and slowly let them shut. She caught her eyes slipping shut as she kissed him back before she placed her hand on his chest and gently pushed him back. He gave her a questioning look. "We can't, Sam." She sighed and made her eyes meet his again.

"Why not?" he asked not moving further back from her.

"What do you mean why not?" she asked as she stepped back and furrowed her brows. "Because of Dean. That's why." She said hugging herself tightly.

"Dean's not here, Maria." Sam said looking a little confused.

"No, not now, but what about when you finally find a way to bring him back, Sam?" she asked, her voice raising at him. "When you finally kill that damn trickster and get him to bring Dean back what am I supposed to tell him? Huh?" Sam just stared at her looking taken aback. "I'm supposed to say "Hey, good to see you Dean. You won't remember, but you've been dead for seven months. Oh and by the way I made out with your brother while you were gone." Is that it? Is that what I'm supposed to say?" she asked getting a little hysterical.

"You're right. I'm sorry." He backed off and made his way over to his bed where he grabbed a black t-shirt and pulled it over his head. "Thanks for stitching me up. We should probably get some sleep." Sam crawled stiffly into bed and turned out the lights.

Maria, on the other hand, grabbed her purse and walked out of the door. She found the nearest bar and proceeded to drink herself into a stupor for the first time since Dean's death.

* * *

A few months later Maria stood at the sink of a hotel bathroom in her underwear and an oversized t-shirt as she brushed her teeth. As she rinsed out her mouth Sam came out of the bathroom and told her it was all hers. A few minutes later she walked out freshly showered and found Sam packing his things with the old blankly intense look on his face. "What's wrong?" she asked, knowing something was up.

"Bobby called. He wants us to meet him at the mystery spot." He tossed her bag to her then walked out the door without another word. She knew there would be no stopping him, so she followed him.

Several long hours later they arrived at the mystery spot and walked in to see Bobby sitting on the floor in front of a bowl and some candles. When Bobby saw them standing there he gave each of them a hug. Maria smiled sadly at him when he pulled away, but Sam remained blank faced. "What are we doing here, Bobby?" Sam asked.

"This is the last place we're sure the trickster worked his magic." Bobby explained. Something about Bobby wasn't sitting right with her.

"So?" Sam asked.

"So you want this thing? I found a summoning ritual to bring the trickster here." Bobby answered.

"What do we need?" Sam asked as he started walking around Bobby.

Maria walked around Bobby to look at the book on the floor. There were no words, just symbols that looked like words from far away. Like a prop out of a tv show. So she read Bobby's mind. It was as if she were trying to read the mind of a hologram. There was nothing there but static. This wasn't Bobby. She blocked out the boys conversation until she figured out that this thing, that was supposed to be Bobby, was just a hallucination from the trickster.

"I'm old. I'm coming near the end of my trail. But you can keep fighting, savin' folks." Bobby spoke to Sam. "But you need your brother." Mia got Sam's attention from where she stood behind Bobby. When he looked at her she pointed to Bobby, shook her head and mouthed one word, trickster. "So let me give him back to you. You and Dean, you boys are the closest thing I have to family." Bobby pleaded. "I wanna do this." Sam took the knife that Bobby handed him. Bobby turned his back and got on his knees. "Just make it quick."

Maria watched as Sam pulled a stake out of his jacket. "Yeah, okay, Bobby," Sam glanced at her before he looked back down at Bobby. "But you wanna know why?" he asked as he took a step forward, wrapped his arm around Bobby's neck and plunged the stake into his back. Maria winced at the pain in Bobby's eyes. Even if it wasn't really Bobby it still hurt to see him in pain. "Because you're not Bobby." Sam said before he let go and Bobby fell to the floor with the stake sticking out of his back. When nothing happened to the body, they both started to panic a little. "Are you sure he wasn't really Bobby?" Sam asked her harshly.

"Yes, I tried to read his mind, but there was no mind there to read." She said just before the body flashed blue and disappeared. The stake fell to the floor with a thud. "I told you." She defended herself. A few seconds later the stake went flying through the air, leading their eyes to where it stopped in the tricksters hand.

"You're right. I was just screwing with you." The trickster said making Maria want to kill him, but he held the only stake they had. "Pretty good though, guy. Smart move Maria. But I gotta tell you Sam. Whoever said Dean was the dysfunctional one…had never seen you with a sharp object in your hands. Ha ha holy full mental jacket." The trickster laughed and Maria ground her teeth together.

"Bring him back." Sam said sounding tired.

"Who Dean?" the trickster asked. "Didn't my girl send you the flowers? Dean's dead. He ain't comin' back. His soul's downstairs doing the hellfire rumba as we speak."

"Just take us back to that Tuesday…or Wednesday, when it all started, please." Sam verged on begging.

"Please?" Maria asked. "We won't come after you. Promise."

"You promise?" The trickster asked.

"Yes." She and Sam answered at the same time.

"I don't know." The trickster taunted. "Even if I could-"

"You can." Sam interrupted.

"True. But that don't mean I should." Mia just sighed and Sam stayed quiet. "Sam, there's a lesson here that I've been trying to drill into that freakish, Cro-Magnon skull of yours." He said motioning to Sam with the end of the stake.

"Lesson?" Mia and Sam asked together.

"This lesson isn't for you honey. You've accepted that you can't save Dean. This Lesson's for Sam." The trickster said as he cut his eyes over at her for a second.

"What lesson?" Sam asked.

"This obsession to save Dean?" the trickster explained as he closed in on Sam. "The way you two keep sacrificing yourselves for each other? Nothing good comes out of it. Just blood and pain. Dean's your weakness. The bad guys know it too. He's gonna be the death of you, Sam. Sometimes, you just gotta let people go." The trickster motioned to Maria making Sam look at her. "His girlfriend did, and look at her. She was happy just being with you, hunting."

His words made Maria feel ashamed that she didn't hold on to Dean like Sam did. But she couldn't help it, she wasn't as strong and persistent as Sam. "He's my brother." Sam said shakily to the trickster as he looked at her.

"Yep." The trickster said making Sam turn back to him. "and like it or not…this is what life's gonna be like without him."

"Please…just…please." Sam said while holding back tears.

The trickster scoffed and let his head fall forward. "I swear it's like talking to a brick wall." He picked his head up and shook his head at Sam. "Okay look. This all stopped being fun months ago. You're Travis Bickle in a skirt, pal. I'm over it." The trickster said and started to walk off.

"Meaning what?" Sam asked, confused.

"Meaning, that's for me to know…" he pointed at Sam and Maria "and you to find out." He snapped his fingers and their worlds went dark.

Maria's eyes shot open to the sound of Huey Lewis &amp; The news' "Back In Time" playing on the radio. She didn't sit up, she didn't look around. She just closed her eyes pulled the yellow and white comforter over her head and cried tears of joy and confusion. "Yeah, which usually follows Tuesday. Turn that thing off." She heard Dean say, but she didn't move the covers. "Dude, how many Tuesdays did you have?" she head Dean ask but couldn't hear Sam's reply.

A minute later Dean came and sat down on the bed next to her. "Mia, you okay? We're packing up. It's time to go." He sat his hand on her hip over the covers and used his other to pull them down to look at her face. "Mia, what's wrong?" he asked, concern tainting his voice. She sat up and wiped her face, but didn't talk. "Baby," she looked into his concerned eyes, "Talk to me. What's wrong?"

She wiped another tear and took a deep breath. "I'm fine now. I just…I had a _really_ bad dream." She whispered before she turned to the side and hugged him tight. "Just do me a favor and stay alive." She pulled back to look into his eyes again, never wanting to look away.

"I'll do my best." He said with a smile as he stood and held out her hand. She took it with a sad smile.

After getting dressed and packing her bags, they were all ready to leave. Dean left the room first and Sam walked in behind him, but stopped at the door and looked at Maria. "Hey, what happened back there…those kisses…where do we stand?" he asked.

"We're good, Sam. I…" she took a deep breath and sighed it out. "I care for you, I will always care for you, but I'm in love with Dean." She smiled shakily.

"Yeah, I care for you too." He said with a nod. She smiled and kissed him on the cheek before she walked around him and out of the door. Sam gave the room one last look before he flicked out the light.


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N:** I apologize for the long wait for an update. The charger for my laptop broke the day before Christmas. I just got one yesterday, so here you go. Enjoy.

**Disclaimer: **See Ch.1

**Sleeping With The Ally**

**Ch.19****-Just In Bello.**

Mia sat up with a yawn and looked around the hotel room to see that Dean was not in bed with her. Her warm feet touched the cold tile floor of the hotel they had stay at for the night and she hissed wishing she had slept in more than just a bra and sheer panties. As she neared the bathroom the sound of running water hit her ears and she laid her hand on the cracked door to open it, but she paused when she noticed something new on her left hand. On her ring finger sat the most stunning ring she had ever had the privilege of touching. A sapphire heart was the main attraction, but along each side sat five small diamonds. The sides of the band also had a delicate leaf design set with tiny diamonds.

She was still staring at it with an open mouth when Dean walked out of the bathroom in just a towel. She was too stunned to notice his lack of clothing. "You like it?" he asked and when she looked up at him she saw the biggest smile ever on his face.

"I love it." It came out a whisper that made his eyes sparkle. He pulled her to him for a deep kiss. When he pulled back and walked around her to get dressed she finally shook away her inability to speak. "I really love it, Dean, but…" he sighed at her use of his least favorite word when it came to her.

"But what?" he asked as he pulled on a pair of pants and walked over to her to rest his hands on her hips.

"But what is it?" she asked trying to make since of why he gave her such an elaborate gift.

"It's a ring." He said with a smart-alecky smile.

"I know it's a ring you idiot. What I want to know is…" she sighed and furrowed her brows at the thought that it might be an engagement ring. She didn't let herself ask such and impossible question. "What does it mean?" she asked confused.

"It's a promise ring." He clarified.

"A promise ring?" she asked still confused.

"Yes. A promise ring." He said as he slid over to her and wrapped his arms around her waist to hold her close to him.

"Okay," she said with a suspicious smile, "So what are you promising?"

"I'm promising you, Maria Morris, that if it turns out that I can escape my inevitable death that I will make you my wife someday." Shock was plane on her face and she remained quiet for a few long seconds. "It may not be anytime soon, but someday, if that's okay with you."

The smile he got from her could have burned his retinas it was so big and bright. She threw her arms around his waist and he picked her up to swing her in a circle she laughed and kicked her feet like a little girl. "Are you kidding me? Of course it's okay with me. I'd love to be your wife." She exclaimed before he stopped spinning her and sat her safely on the ground. "Thank you." She smiled up at him before he kissed her.

She finally realized then that he was only wearing jeans and she pulled for her eyes to scan his toned chest and stomach. He didn't miss the lust in her eyes when they finally met his. His lips met hers in an eager kiss as he wrapped his arm around her waist and lifted her up. Her legs automatically wrapped around him as he walked them back towards the bed. He laid her gently down and hovered over her with one hand on the bed by her head while his other one reached around her to quickly and skillfully unclasp her bra. With a cheeky smile he tossed it aside and kissed her with gentle passion.

-An hour later-

They both lay breathless and smiling blissfully on their backs on the bed. The covers were messed up and what little clothing they had been wearing littered the floor. "I love you, you know that?" Mia asked as she slid over to rest her head on Dean's strong arm.

"Yeah, I love you too baby." Mia smiled at his small confesstion and rolled over to straddle him. He smiled softly and ran his hands up and down her smooth shoulders. "I could spend all day here with you, but as much as I would like to we can't. Sam found a lead on Bela." her smile faltered at the mention of the stupid woman, but not even Bela could ruin the happiness she was feeling. "So we gotta move." He sighed before he kissed her again and they started getting dressed.

* * *

They picked the lock on the apartment that Bela had apparently been staying at and walked in, guns raised. When they saw that she wasn't there they started looking thought the bedroom for anything that would tell them where Bela might be. They hadn't been there long before the phone that sat on the bed started ringing. Dean picked it up, not saying hello. "Dean, sweetie, are you there?" she could hear Bela on the other end of the phone in the quiet room.

"Where are you?" Dean asked, not pleased.

"Two states away by now." Bela answered.

"Where?" Dean asked and Mia walked over to get closer to the phone.

"Where's our usual quippy banter? I miss it." Mia's teeth ground together at Bela's statement and she opened her mouth to say something, but Dean put his hand lightly over her mouth knowing anything that Mia would say to Bela wouldn't help anything.

"I want it back Bela, now." Dean said with a glare at no one in particular.

"The little pistol, you mean? Sorry. I can't at the moment." Mia's fist clenched at her sides. The new ring on her finger dug into her skin and she relaxed.

"Do you understand how many people are gonna die if you do this?" Dean asked.

"What exactly is it that you think I plan to do with it?" Bela asked.

"Take the only weapon we have against demons and sell it to the highest bidder?" Dean asked.

"You know nothing about me." Bela's statement made Mia laugh.

"I know I'm gonna stop you."

"Tough words from a guy who can't even find me." Bela quipped causing Mia to scoff.

"Oh, I'll find you sweetheart." It kinda bugged Mia that Dean and Bela called each other sweetheart, but she didn't let it get to her because that was just Dean being Dean. "You know why, because I have absolutely nothing better to do than to track you down."

"That's where you're wrong. You're about to be quite occupied. Did you really thing I wouldn't take precautions?"

It wasn't two seconds later that the door of the room was kicked in and men in bulletproof vests entered the room. "Hands in the air!" "Get down on your knees."

Mia's heart instantly started racing. She did as asked and got on the ground, but her throat started to feel as if it were closing up even thought she was breathing fine. She knew she was breathing fine, because her breaths came easily in tiny gasps. "Let her go!" she heard Dean yell as an officer pushed her to lay face down on the floor. Her panicked eyes found him. She felt as if no oxygen was getting to her lungs as she stared at Dean. "She having a panic attack. Let her go!" she felt her hands being cuffed before she passed out.

* * *

When Mia woke up she was alone in the back seat of a cop car. Her hands were still cuffed and her feet were chained together and padlocked. She noticed a deputy through the window that was half Plexiglas and half iron mesh. "Hey, officer?" she asked and the man looked back at her.

"Oh, I was wondering when you were going to wake up." He said sounding cheery. "Are you okay? You passed out on us."

"Yeah, that tends to happen when someone is having a panic attack." She said flatly and he chuckled.

"Yeah, sorry about that." He said sounding genuinely sorry.

"Where are the other men you arrested?" she asked worried not only for Dean, but Sam too.

"On the way to the police station. Just like you." He answered and she sighed and let her head rest against the head rest.

After they pulled into the small town station, the three of them were led into the building, each with an officer on their arm. If it were monsters and not actual people, police officers for that matter, Mia would be cracking jokes and thanking him for escorting her to the prom. "Why all the sourpusses?" apparently Dean had that covered for her. Mia didn't miss when a pretty young girl, the secretary Nancy, reached for her rosary beads. "We're not the one's you should be scared of, Nancy." Dean said to her as the three of them were led to cells.

Seeing as how there was a chain linking Sam and Dean together at their feet, they got put in one cell and Mia another. If she wasn't so nervous about this being the first time she had ever been in Prison, she would have laughed when the brothers fought with the chains in an attempt to sit down. Sam noticed her labored breathing. "Mia, hey, are you okay?"

"Just trying not to have another panic attack." Her voice came out a whisper from where she started at the ground.

The sound of rattling chains could be heard as Dean stood and walked to the side of his cell that faced hers. "You've never been arrested before have you?" he asked and she shook her head not looking up at him. "Mia, Baby look at me." She did as asked at his caring tone and moved to get as close to him as she could, but there was a three foot space between the cells. He reached out his hand between the bars and she did the same. Their hands locked and she instantly felt a little calmer. "It's gonna be okay. I'll get you out of this." He promised with serious, caring eyes.

"We'll get you out of this." Sam spoke up and Mia's eyes met his before she looked back at Dean and nodded.

"Ain't that sweet." They dropped their hands and turned to see a Dark skinned man in a blue suit and red tie standing between their cells. The man just stared at her for a second before he turned his attention to the boys. "You know what I'm trying to decide?"

"I don't know, whether Cialis will help with your little condition?" Dean asked and the guy quirked a smile.

"What to have for dinner tonight, steak or lobster. What the hell, surf and turf. I've got a lot to celebrate. I mean, after all, seeing you two in chains?"

"You kinky son of a bitch. We don't swing that way." Dean joked. And the agent agreed that it was funny. "I wouldn't bust out the melted butter just yet. Couldn't catch us at the bank. Couldn't keep us in that jail…" Dean said and gave the guy a cocky pout.

"You're right. I screwed up. I underestimated you. I didn't count on you being that smart. But now I'm ready. Ready like a court order to keep you in a super-maximum prison in Nevada till trial. Ready like isolation in a soundproof, windowless cell so small that between you and me is probably unconstitutional. How's that for ready?" the guy asked and Dean just looked down and wiped his face. "Take a good look at Sam and your girlfriend here. You will never see each other again." They all three looked at the agent. "Aw. Where's that smug smile, Dean? I wanna see it."

Dean just shook his head and turned his eyes to the floor. "You got the wrong guys."

"Oh, yeah I forgot. You fight monsters. Sorry, Dean. Truth is your daddy brainwashed you with all that devil talk and no doubt touched you in a bed place."

"Hey!" Mia said finally getting her big girl panties on. The agent looked at her with squinted eyes. "Back off ass hat." Her mother had taught her to respect the people she pretended to be on a daily basis, but this man was pushing buttons she didn't know she had.

"You, Miss Maria Loraine Morris, might want to be a little nicer to me if you don't want to end up in a padded cell alongside these guys." He said before the sound of a helicopter filled the room.

"Your middle names Loraine?" Dean asked with a crinkled brow and she just shrugged.

The agent laughed and said "It's surf and turf time." Before he turned to Maria and opened her cell. "Come with me, we need to talk." She thought for a split second about breaking the man's nose, but instead let him pull her out of her cell. She just stared at Dean until she could no longer see him. The agent brought her to a classic, empty room with white brick walls. "Nikki, can I call you Nikki? Or is it Maggie?" he asked as he paced in front of the table she sat at.

"I prefer to be called Maria." She said through gritted teeth.

"Well, Mia,"

"Maria." She interrupted him.

"Maria." He corrected. "I'm agent Hendrickson." He stuck out his hand and she shook it. "We haven't met before and I don't know as much about you as I do your boys back there. But what I do know that it was Nikki Jones, or rather you as Nikki Jones that murdered a restaurant full of people. A restaurant that you worked at for a year right?" he asked looking down at her.

She stared at her cuffed hands and picked at her dry cuticles. "I didn't murder anyone." She answered still not looking up.

"I beg to differ." He said as he crossed his arms over his chest.

She gritted her teeth. "Where's your proof?" she asked finally looking up to see a blank face. "You don't have any do you?" she asked with a small smirk.

He slapped a Melina folder down on the table. "Take a look." He said with a smirk that matched hers. She slid the folder around with one hand and opened it up. What her eyes landed on made her snap it shut. "What? You don't like your own handy work?" he asked and she glared up at him fighting back tears that the sight of her dead friends brought up.

"I didn't do that." She said again.

"Then who did?" he asked. "Because you are our only lead."

"Do you want the truth?" she asked and he nodded as she started reading his mind. "The truth is that you don't like lobster or stake. To celebrate catching Dean and Sam, you were going to go to the cheesecake factory and binge on some good, calorie packed strawberry cheesecake." She smiled a good, cocky, very Dean-like smile at the face he was making. "Very unhealthy of you, but am I right? Is that not the truth?"

"How did you know that?" he asked sounding freaked out and she didn't blame him.

"Because I can read minds." She said before she tuned back into him. _She's just as big of a nut case as Dean._ "I'm just as big of a nut case a Dean." She echoed his thoughts and he shook his head. "If you want the real truth, I didn't murder those people. Demons did. And I don't need you showing me pictures of them because I already blame myself for that." She said as she leaned across the table to get closer to Hendrickson.

"Alright, that's it. You're going with the boys. You're just as crazy."

"Hey, you alright?" Dean stood up and asked as Hendrickson led her back into her cell.

"Yeah, nothing I couldn't handle." She said with a smirk. Hendrickson was still freaked out about what she could do. After he left she turned to Dean with a frown. "But it looks like I going down with you guys. They found out about me supposedly killing all those people in the diner I worked at before I was ripped out of normal life and thrown into psychic land." She said with a sigh as she twisted her hands in the cuffs uncomfortably.

"First time in hand cuffs?" Dean asked seriously.

She quirked a brow at him and smiled. "No, but the ones I'm used to are fuzzy and plastic."

Dean raised his brows at her and Sam laughed. But Dean's gaze was pulled else where when they heard the door to the room they were in shut. A man in an expensive suit walked in and put his hands on his hips. "Sam and Dean Winchester. I'm Deputy Director Steven Groves. This is a pleasure."

Mia started reading his mind, just because he looked like a pompous ass. But when she found it hard to enter his head and the dark thoughts he was thinking she knew he was possessed. "Christo." Mia whispered the word and the guy turned black eyes on her before he shot Dean. "No!" she yelled as she watched Dean fall back onto the bed. Several more shots rang out as Sam faugh the guy, keeping him from shooting Dean again. "Exorcizamus te, omnis immundus spiritus, omnis satanica potestas, omnis incursio infernalis adversarii, omnis legio, omnis congregatio et secta diabolica." Mia started exorcising and the demon started freaking out.

But he suddenly stopped and stared at her. "Sorry, I've gotta cut this short. It's gonna be a long night, fellas." All of a sudden the demon yelled and black smoke escaped his mouth and fled into the air vent. Director Groves fell to the floor as other officers came into the room with weapons raised. One of the deputies said that Sam shot him. Sam defended himself. Everyone was yelling and Sam gave them back the gun.

"We didn't shoot him. Check the body. There's not blood. We did not kill him." Sam said with raised hands while Dean lay on the bed in pain and Mia started at him, wanting nothing more than to be in the cell with him.

At Hendrickson's command one of the deputies checked the body and confirmed that there was no gunshot wound. "He's probably been dead for months." Dean said as he breathed hard in pain.

"What did you do?" Hendrickson asked with his gun pointed at Sam and Dean.

"We didn't do anything." Dean argued.

"Talk or I shoot."

"You won't believe us." Dean scoffed.

"He was possessed." Sam said.

"Possessed… right." Hendrickson scoffed. "Fire up the chopper, we're taking them out."

"Yeah, do that!" Dean yelled still holding his shoulder where he stood beside his brother.

As the officer tried to contact someone over the walkie-talkie, nothing but static came through. At Hendrickson's command the officer left to check on the chopper driver. Out of nowhere they heard an explosion. Hendrickson tried to contact him over the radio, but got nothing in return.

Everyone left the room and soon after, yelling could be heard from the main office. Not too long after, the lights went out. "That can't be good." She heard Dean say and she turned to look at him.

"Alright, don't be such a wuss." Sam said as he pressed a makeshift toilet paper pad into his shoulder.

"What's the plan?" Hendrickson asked as he walked into the room. "Kill everyone in the station, bust you three out?" Dean asked him what he was talking about. "I'm talking about your psycho friends. I'm talking about a blood bath."

"Look I promise you, whoever is out there is not here to help us." Dean said.

"Look, you gotta believe us." Sam spoke up. "Everyone here is in terrible danger."

"You think?" Hendrickson asked.

"Why don't you let us out of here so we can save your asses?" Dean said.

"From what?" Hendrickson asked. "You gonna say Demons? Don't you dare say demons. Let me tell you something. You should be a lot more scared of me." He said holding his gun up by his head looking a little like a crazy man himself. He dropped the gun and walked out of the room.

"How's the shoulder?" Sam asked.

Dean held up the pad that had a huge bloodstain on it. "It's awesome." He answered as he tossed the paper onto the bed. "I'll live, you know, if we get out of here alive. So, do you have a plan?" Dean asked before they noticed Nancy standing near the door.

Sam stated talking to the young girl, trying to convince her that the three of them weren't the bad guys, but Nancy just shook her head and walked away. "Nice try, Sam, but she probably would have responded to Dean better." Mia said having read the girls mind while Sam had been talking to her. A few seconds later they noticed Nancy at the door with a towel in her hands. She walked over and handed it to Sam, but he surprised them all and grabbed the girls arm, pulling her flush with the bars.

Nancy screamed and an officer ran in. Sam let her go when the officer pointed his shot gun at him. When the two left, Dean smacked his younger brother in the arm. "Were you trying to give the poor girl a heart attack?" Mia asked but didn't receive and answer as Sam held up Nancy's rosary beads. "Oh, okay then." Mia sighed and sat down on the bench in her cell as Sam and Dean did the same.

They had been sitting there for a while before the sheriff came in and unlocked the door to Sam and Dean's cell. "It's time to go boys." The sheriff motioned for them to leave the cell, but Sam and Dean backed further into it.

"Uh…you know what? We're… We're just comfy right here, but thank you." Dean drawled in suspicion. Hendrickson came in and started arguing with the sheriff. The second the sheriff raised his voice to Hendrickson, Hendrickson shot him in the head. Sam and Dean were on Hendrickson in a flash, got the gun from him and shoved his head into the toilet of holy water.

Sam started exorcising him and a Deputy rushed in having heard the commotion. Mia watched as the demon managed to lift his head. His solid black eyes stared at her as he spoke. "It's too late. I already called them. They're already coming." Sam didn't let him say anymore. He just shoved his head back into the toilet and finished the exorcism. Hendrickson yelled as his head was thrown back and a rush of black demon smoke streamed from his open mouth. When the smoke was gone, Hendrickson fell to the floor.

Nancy walked further into the room and asked if he was dead. A second later he coughed awake and looked around at them all. "I… I uh, I shot the sheriff." He said in shock.

"But you didn't shoot the deputy." Dean said with a stupid smile as he looked around at all of them. Mia called him an idiot under her breath and his smiled faded.

"Five minutes ago I was fine then-" Hendrickson started.

"Let me guess. Some nasty black smoke jammed itself down your throat?" Dean asked and the man just stared at him wide eyed as Sam informed him that he was possessed. "Possessed like…possessed?" he asked and they all nodded.

"I owe you the biggest I-told-you-so ever." Dean said as he handed Hendrickson back his gun.

He took it still looking shocked. "Officer Amici, Keys." The officer gave him the keys and then let all three of them out of the cells and chains. "Alright, so how do we survive?"

"Salt, spray-paint, holy water and more salt." Mia answered with a smile that made Hendrickson think she was kidding. "I'm not kidding." She dropped the smile and he scoffed at her as they walked out of the room.

She and Sam started drawing devils traps at all the doors and windows. When she was through with what she was supposed to cover she headed back onto the main office. When she saw Nancy bandaging up Dean's arm she stopped in the doorway and started reading Nancy's mind. _"Gosh he's cute, I swear if I wasn't such a good girl. Am I a good girl? It kinda feel's like the worlds coming to an end. Oh…gosh…I swear his muscles are made of brick."_ Mia stopped listening in and paid attention to the actual conversation that was going on between them. "When I was little, I would come home from church and talk about the devil. My parents would tell me to stop being so literal. I guess I showed them huh?"

Mia cleared her throat as she made her presence known and walked further into the room. Dean gave her a smile and Nancy walked away without a word. "I've painted the traps, Sam's finishing up with the others. Anything else need to be done?" she asked as she rested her hand on his shoulder that wasn't hurt.

"No, the guys are coving the window seals with salt. I need to get some stuff out of my car." He explained as he stood up and grabbed his jacket.

"Do you need help?" she asked just wanting to get out of the station for a while.

"Na, it's probably be faster if I went by myself. I'll be back though." He kissed her quickly after shucking on his jacket and heading out.

Now that Dean was gone, Mia was alone with Nancy. She was trying to ignore what the girl had been thinking. It's not like she wouldn't have the same thoughts about Dean if she were a virginal Christian. But it still made her jealous. "So are you and Dean a couple?" Nancy asked quietly.

"Yeah. We're together." Mia answered with a smile and held up her hand to show off her ring.

"You're lucky. He's brave." Nancy said with a small smile. "And handsome." Her cheeks flushed as a small laugh escaped her. Mia laughed and agreed with Nancy. "I heard Hendrickson saying that you can read minds. Is that true?"

Mia just stared at the red paint on the tip of her finger that was left behind from the spray nozzle. "Yeah." Her answer came out a whisper. "So, can you do me a favor and keep your thoughts clean of him?" she asked as she walked off to go check on Sam.

She and Sam where finishing up the last trap when the lights started to flicker. "They're coming!" they heard Dean yell and they took off for the main office. When they got there Dean tossed her and Sam shotguns and rock salt shells. They stood there for a minute before the demon smoke figured out that there was no way into the building. It then back off and things calmed down.

"Is everyone okay?" Mia asked and Hendrickson told her to define okay. "Still in one piece and breathing." He just rolled his eyes at her.

"Alright, everybody needs to put these on. It'll keep you from being possessed." Dean said as he started passing out charms.

"What about you and Sam?" Nancy asked and Mia noticed how she left her out.

The guys pulled down their shirts to reveal their anti possession tattoos. "Smart. How long you had those?" Hendrickson asked. After Sam answered him he looked at Maria. "What about you, Maria?" she pulled her necklace out of her shirt and showed him her charm.

Now that things had calmed down a bit they all sat around doing little things. Mia sat outside the sheriff's office where Dean and Hendrickson where talking. "If it makes you feel any better, Bigfoot's a hoax." Dean said and it got quiet for a second.

"It doesn't." she heard Hendrickson say. "So how many demons?" he asked.

"Total? No clue. A lot." Dean answered.

"You know what my job is?"

"You mean besides locking up the good guys? No, I have no idea." Dean answered with a smile in his voice.

"My job is boring. It's frustrating. You work three years for one break. And then maybe you can save a few people. Maybe. That's the payoff. Been busting my ass for 15 years to nail a handful of guys. And all this while, there was something off in the corner so big. So yeah, sign me up for that big frosty mug of wasting my damn life."

"You didn't know."

"Well, now I do." Hendrickson said and it got quiet for a minute. Maria kept picking at the paint on her fingers. "What's out there? Can you guys beat it? Can you win?"

"Honestly, I think the worlds gonna end bloody. But that doesn't mean we shouldn't fight. We do have choices. I choose to go down swinging." Dean said and she could hear the fight in his voice where a few weeks ago, there had been none.

"Plus, you got nothin' to go home to but your brother." Mia stopped what she was doing when Hendrickson's words hit her hears through the glass that sat behind her.

"Na, I got a little more than that." Dean said quietly.

"You talkin' 'bout Maria?" Hendrickson asked. "She's uh…she's something else." She could hear how uncomfortable Hendrickson was just talking about her. She didn't have to read his mind to know that.

"Yeah, but she's my somethin' else." She smiled to herself at the loving tone of Dean's voice.

"How do you stay with a woman that can read you like an open book? A woman you can't bullshit."

Dean laughed at his question. "We have a deal. I trust her not to read my mind and she trusts me not to bullshit her. But, I don't ever lie to her, so that part works." Mia and Hendrickson both laughed, but their attention was drawn elsewhere when they heard the sound of breaking glass. They all ran to the source to find Ruby standing in the trap.

"How do we kill her?" Hendrickson asked, pointing a gun on her.

"We don't." Sam answered as he took a step into the room.

"She's a demon." Hendrickson argued.

But Sam pushed down the barrel of his gun. "She's here to help us."

Mia and Dean just looked at each other and shook their heads while Sam walked over and let Ruby out of the trap. "Does anyone have a breath mint? Some guts splattered into my mouth while I was killing my way in here." She said as she walked past everyone and out of the room. Dean asked her how many demons were out there. "Thirty at least. That's so far.

"Oh, good, thirty. Thirty hit men all gunning for us." Dean said with sarcasm dripping from his words. "Who sent them?"

"You didn't tell Dean?" Ruby asked while looking at Sam. "Wow. I'm surprised." Dean asked what she was talking about. "There's a big new up and comer. A real pied piper." Dean asked who he was. "Not he. Her. Her name's Lilith. And she really, really wants Sam's intestines on a stick. Guess she sees him as competition." Ruby said and Mia watched Dean's face turn pissed, as did her own.

"You knew about this?" Dean asked and Sam didn't answer. "Well, jeez, Sam. Is there anything else I should know?" Dean yelled.

"How about the two of you talk about this later? We'll need the colt." None of them said anything. "Where's the colt?"

"A bitch with a death wish stole it." Mia said making Ruby turn to her with an intense glare before she looked to the brothers.

"I'm sorry I must have blood in my ear. I thought I just heard you say you were stupid enough to let the colt get grabbed out of your thick, clumsy, idiotic hands." Ruby said before she stood up and started pacing. "Fantastic. This is just peachy." Sam tried to talk to her but she shut him up. "Fine. Since I don't see that there's any other option there's one other way I know how to get you out of here alive." Mia asked what she was talking about. "I know a spell. It'll vaporize every demon in a one mile radius. Myself included. So you let the colt out of your sight and now I have to die." Mia could care less if Ruby died, but she also knew that a spell this powerful needed something big to make it work. "So next time, be more careful. How's that for a dying wish?"

"Okay, what do we need to do?" Dean asked as he stood up.

"Aw. You can't do anything. This spell is very specific. It calls for a person of virtue." Ruby said.

"I got virtue." Dean said.

Mia and Ruby both laughed. Dean looked at her with raised brows. "You don't have the kind of virtue she's talking about." Dean looked away from Mia and back to Ruby.

"She's right. You're not a virgin." Ruby said.

Dean laughed. "Nobody's a virgin." Mia's eyes were the first to land on Nancy. "No. No way. You're kidding me right. You're-"

"What? It's a choice, okay?" Nancy defended herself.

"Wait so you…you never?" Dean asked and Nancy shook her head. "Not even once?" Nancy just stared at him. "Not even-"

"Dean," Mia spoke up getting his attention, "could you not, please?" she asked with a disgusted look on her face. Knowing that this spell would call for something gruesome, Mia read Ruby's mind.

"So this spell?" Nancy asked looking at Ruby. "What can I do?"

"No, don't even ask." Mia said as she moved to stand between Nancy and Ruby.

"What do you think you're doing?" Ruby asked Mia with a pissed off look on her face.

"I'm keepin' you from killing an innocent girl." Mia said and she heard Nancy gasp behind her. Everyone, mainly Dean, Ruby, and Maria started arguing. The more they argued the louder they got.

"Would everybody please shut up?" Everyone turned to Nancy when she yelled at them. "All the people out there…will it save them?" she asked Ruby.

"It'll blow the demons out of their bodies. So if their bodies are okay, yeah." Ruby answered.

"I'll do it." Nancy's answer struck up another argument. "All my friends are out there."

"We don't sacrifice people. We do that, we're no better than them." Hendrickson said.

"We don't have a choice." Ruby argued. "Sam, you know I'm right."

They all turned to Sam who remained quiet. "Sam?" Dean asked, but didn't get an answer. "What the hell is going on? Sam, tell her." Dean yelled, but Sam still didn't say anything.

"It's my decision." Nancy spoke up.

"Damn straight, Cherry Pie." Ruby answered glad that Nancy was on her side.

"Stop! Stop!" Dean yelled making everyone look at him. "Nobody kill any virgins. Sam, I need to talk to you." Dean said as he grabbed Mia's hand and they walked down the hall. "Please tell me you're not actually considering this. You're talking about holding down a girl and cutting out her heart."

"And we're also talking about 30 people out there, Dean. Innocent people who are all gonna die along with everyone in here." Sam argued without looking at Maria.

"That doesn't mean we throw away the rule book and stop acting like humans." Dean whisper yelled. "I'm not gonna let that demon kill some nice, sweet innocent girl who hasn't even been laid." Dean shot Mia an apologetic look before he turned back to his brother. "Man look, if that's how you win wars, then I don't wanna win."

"Then what? What do we do Dean?" Sam asked and Maria chose this moment to speak up.

"We come up with something else." They both looked at her. "We're hunters. When do we ever use plan a or b? It's always plan c and somehow it always works. Right now plan a is everyone dies, plan b is one person dies and thirty three live. I say we fly by the seat of our pants and come up with a plan c where we save the lives of as many people we can. Without… trusting… demons." She said glaring at Sam for being so cold.

"Fine, do you have this miraculous plan C?" Sam asked.

Mia shook her head before she turned her eyes to Dean. "I do. I'm not saying it's a good one, not saying that it'll work, but it sure as hell beats killing a virgin."

"Okay, so, what's the plan?" Sam asked.

"Open the doors, let them all in, and we fight."

* * *

Mia followed officer Amici and Nancy up onto the roof and crouched down so that they wouldn't be seen by the demons. It wasn't too much longer that the doors were opened, salt lines broken and traps compromised. The demons started rushing in. "When this is over, I'm gonna have so much sex." She heard Nancy say before she looked over to the man to get a hopeful look. "But not with you."

Mia just laughed as she watched the last demon run in. "Okay, its go time kids." She said as she hopped down off of the building. "Get to salting." She instructed before she disappeared into the station and shut the door behind her. She used her stashed can of paint to close where the circle had been scratched before she made her way down the hall. As she rounded the corner to fix the other trap she saw a demon headed for the door. She ran after it, but another demon caught up with her and knocked her feet out from under her. She kicked it in the face before throwing holy water on it. That bought her enough time to get back on her feet before she shot it full of rock salt.

With the demon down she fixed the trap so more couldn't get out. With that chore out of the way she headed to the PA system. A demon tried to cut her off, but she ducked under it and kept running. She skidded to a halt into the room and slammed the door before she quickly pored a salt line. With that done, she punched the play button. Her voice echoed throughout the building. "Exorcizamus te, omnis immundus spiritus, omnis satanica potestas, omnis incursio infernalis adversarii, omnis legio, omnis congregatio et secta diabolica." Her voice continued the incantation while she listened to the screaming outside. She hoped that Dean and Sam were okay out there. She would go check on them, but she promised Dean that once she was inside the pa room she wouldn't leave and risk something happening.

When the incantation was over everything fell silent, the backup generator kicked off and the lights came back on. Mia walked out of the room to see people lying on the floor. Ashes from the destroyed demons littered the place as well. Dean found her and hugged her. "Nice work."

"I better call in. Hell of a story I won't be tellin'" Hendrickson said tiredly. Sam asked what Hendrickson would be telling the head honchos. "The least ridiculous lie I can come up with in the next five minutes."

"Good luck with that." Dean said making everyone smile at him. "Not to pressure you or anything, but what are you planning to do about us?" Dean asked.

"I'm gonna kill you." They all just stared at his serious face before the man smirked at them. "Sam and Dean Winchester were in the chopper when it caught fire. So was Miss Maria Morris. Nothing's left. Can't even identify them with dental records. Rest in peace guys." Maria and Dean smiled while Sam shook his hand. "Now get out of here." At that they all grabbed their things and left.

* * *

They were catching their breath in a motel room not far away when they heard a knock on the door. Dean answered it and Ruby came walking in. "Turn on the news." Maria grabbed the remote from where she sat on her and Dean's bed and turned on the TV.

"The community is still reeling from the tragedy that happened just a few hours ago." A female reported with short blond hair spoke from outside the station. "Authorities believe a gas main ruptured, causing the massive explosion that ripped apart the police station and claimed the lives of everyone inside." Dean sat down on the bed in front of her and she leaned around him to look at the tv. "Among the deceased, at least six police officers and staff including sheriff Melvin Dodd, Deputy Phil Amici, Secretary Nancy Fitzgerald, as well as three FBI agents identified as Steven Groves, Calvin Reidy and Victor Henricksen. Three fugitives in custody were also killed."

They all remained in quiet shock while Ruby stared at them. "Must've happened right after we left." Sam said.

"Considering the size of the blast…" Ruby tossed them all a little brown bag, "smart money's on Lilith.

"What's in this thing?" Mia asked as she smelled the hex bag with a wrinkled nose.

"Something that'll protect you. Throw Lilith off your trail. For the time being, at least." Ruby answered with a look at all of them. Sam thanked her. "Don't thank me. Lilith killed everyone. She slaughtered your precious little virgin plus a half a dozen other people." Sam and Dean looked down in regret. "So after your big speech about humanity and war it turns out your plan, was the one with the body count." Ruby looked at them and Mia moved her hand to rest on Deans back. "Do you know how to fight a battle? You strike fast and you don't leave any survivors so no one can go running to tell the boss." Ruby glared at Maria. "So next time, we go with my plan." With that Ruby walked out.

Mia could look at Dean and tell what he was thinking. "It's not your fault. Stop thinking it." She said and he just looked at her with eyes that held so much guilt and sadness. "I'm the one that let the demon get away. It's my fault." Dean sighed and took her hand in his, not believing her.

"It's all of our fault. We decided as a group to do things how we did." They both looked at Sam. "There's nothing we can do about it now. So let's just move on." Sam grabbed his coat and walked out of the room without another word.

Dean and Mia just looked at each other and sighed before he pulled her in for a hug.


	20. Chapter 20

Disclaimer: See chapter one.

**A/N: **Okay, guys and gals, so this is a chapter that has absolutely nothing from the tv show. Its a chapter all my own, it's my first try with all original content, so please be kind. This is just my way of adding a little more info about Mia to the story, i guess. So please enjoy, review and follow (If you haven't already). :-)

**Sleeping With the Ally**

**Chapter 20**-Vamp or Djinn?

Clothing littered the floor of the motel room while the old, grumbling heater did nothing to wake the sleeping couple. Mia softly snored from where she lay on her side with her back to Dean and her head resting on his arm that was tucked under her pillow. His chest was pressed to her back and his other arm wrapped around her waist to hold her hand.

Eventually the sun peeked between the thick curtains to hit Dean in the face. With a groan he rolled onto his back and sighed as he took in Mia's sleeping form. She, having felt him move, rolled over and unconsciously sought out his warmth. When her hand hit his chest she snuggled into him. His eyes took in her hand on him before they moved to take in every inch of her lightly tanned skin. When he first met her he thought that she had too few scars to be a hunter, but over time he had noticed quite a few. Most were light slashes here and there that only showed when the sun hit her skin. But some others were raised and shiny showing off their severity.

He lightly brushed the back of his fingers down her side, tickling her in the process. She jerked awake before her eyes landed on him. "Hi." He greeted as he rested his hand on her hip and smiled at her in apology for waking her.

"Hi." She answered as she turned away to yawn. "How did you sleep?" she sat up and pulled the covers with her keeping herself covered from the waist down.

"Like a baby." He answered as he sat up and swiped her loose auburn waves to the side so he could press his lips to her neck. She sighed and leaned her head to the side as his arms wrapped around her waist. "You?" he asked between kisses.

"Same." She said groggily.

He rested his chin on her shoulder. From this angle he had a perfect view of her cleavage. Between the two peeks sat the friendship necklace that he had bought her for Christmas. He smiled to himself as he thought about the matching necklace. It hung around his neck alongside the one Sam and given him. While lost in thought he slid his fingertips lightly up her side then down her arm to intertwine his fingers with hers. "Have I told you that I love waking up like this?"

"Like what?" she asked with a smile as she drank in the feel of his warm skin on hers.

"With a sexy woman in bed with me." He answered as he kissed her neck a few times.

"Did someone else sleep with you last night?" she asked as she looked over her shoulder at him with a teasing smile before she leaned into him and pressed her lips to his. When the kiss broke her eyes landed on the red digital numbers of the clock that sat atop the nightstand. She rested her head back on his shoulder with a sigh.

"What's the matter?" he drawled.

"It's ten thirty. We need to get dressed and head out." She said as she stood from the bed and pulled on a pair of pants.

"Why? We don't have a case to get to." He said not getting up from the bed, but instead laid back down to be propped up with his elbow.

"I know, but we should be looking for one or for Bela or... trying to save you." She said, letting a little of her aggravation at him taint her voice, as she pulled a solid blue v neck t-shirt over her head. When the fabric was out of the way, she looked at him to see him roll his eyes. "Dean…" she said with a look of pleading, knowing that he wouldn't want to do anything that she and Sam would suggest to help him.

Their staring match was broken when Dean's phone started ringing and he picked it up off of the night stand with a sigh. "Sup Sam?" he asked before he rolled his eyes and scratched the back of his head ruffling his hair. "Yeah ok, we'll be over in a little while.

* * *

"Okay, so I was doing some research and stumbled across this article." Sam said when they walked into his room.

Mia turned her eyes from a tired looking Sam to the computer screen he was holding up for them to see. "Blood crazed killer strikes again." She read off the title. "Well that's certainly eye catching."

"Police are asking for help in finding the killer of three victims in Jefferson county Texas. The assailant was said to have strung up his victims and drained them of blood. An eye witness reported the killer to be male, 6'3'', and in his late thirties with dark hair, blue eyes and a tattooed face. If you have seen a man resembling the picture below please contact your local police station." Sam read before setting the computer back on the table.

"Sounds like our kind of thing." Mia said and Dean agreed as they looked at the picture of the sketch of the man below the article.

"So I did a little more digging. David Turner, the eye witness mentioned in the article, lives in China, Texas." Sam elaborated.

Mia and Dean gave each other nods and shrugs before they looked back at Sam. "Okay, looks like we're headed to China." Dean said with a cocky smirk before he turned and left the room.

"See ya in a bit Sammy." Mia said with a playful smile, knowing that he didn't like it when she used Dean's nickname for him, before she turned and followed Dean.

* * *

"I've already talked to the FBI." David Turner stood in the doorway of apartment 4b. His brown orbs took in their suits, ties and Maria's navy pumps.

"We're just doing a follow up, making sure you're story's still the same." Maria said with a neutral face from where she stood between Sam and Dean.

"You know, because some minor details that you may have forgotten the first time around might have surfaced since our first visit." Sam explained further.

"So would you mind telling us again, what happened?" Dean asked politely.

David sighed and motioned them inside to a faded brown and tan plaid couch that sat facing an old television set. "No details have surfaced. Everything is as I told you people the first time." He said as he brushed his hair out of his face.

"Just flatter us. Tell us everything from start to finish, as if this is the first time telling the story." Mia said with a smile that let him know she understood how stupid and frustrating this must all be for him.

"Okay." The guy brushed his hair out of his face again as he sat down and the three of them followed suit. "So there's this hospital out on Nibblet's bluff. It's old and abandoned. I've heard ghost stories about it all my life. My friends, Addison and Tim, and I were being stupid and thought we'd go check it out. When we got there I dared them to go in, mainly because I was too chicken to go in myself. I ain't afraid to admit that." David didn't look at them as he told the story. "They weren't in there for long before I heard them scream. I thought they were just kidding, but when they didn't come back out I went in for them. That's when I saw that guy. He had tied Addison up by her wrists and shoved an IV needle in her neck. He had Tim pinned against the wall. He was…" David trailed off and finally looked up at the threesome. "You people are probably going to have me committed."

"We're not gonna have you committed, David, just tell us what you saw." Mia said softly as she leaned forward to rest her elbows on her knees.

David sighed before he continued. "Home dude's hands, eyes and tattoos were glowing blue. He put his hand on Tim's head and the next thing I knew Tim passed out." The three of them exchanged looks before they looked back at David.

"Did you see anything else?" Dean asked in interest.

"Are you kidding me? No, as soon as I saw a glowing man I let out. I hopped back in the truck and didn't stop 'til I was at the police station." He explained with wide eyes. Mia, who had been reading him the whole time, knew he was telling the truth and scratched the side of her nose with her pinky finger. This small action let the guys know that she had read his mind and he checked out.

"Okay, thanks David, we'll be in touch." Dean said before they all stood and left.

"So djinn?" Sam asked Dean as they headed across the grey rock parking lot to the Impala.

"Definitely sounds like it." Dean agreed.

"Okay, I'm a little out of the loop here. What's a jinn?" she asked confused.

"A genie… basically." Dean said.

"We encountered one a while back. They survive on human blood." Sam said. "Their powers are almost god like. If they touch you, like Dave said that the djinn did to his friend, he grants your wish."

"Or so it makes you think. It's really just a coma the Djinn puts you in while they drain you dry." Dean explained and Mia looked to Sam for more information, since he was usually the one doing the research.

"Don't look at me. Dean could tell you more about that part." Sam said almost defensively.

"Why?" she asked looking between the brothers.

"Because he was touched by one." Sam answered and she gawked at Dean.

"What was it like?" she asked, but Dean didn't answer so she just let it go.

Sam explained everything they knew about djinn as they headed to the motel. According to him, djinn put their victims in a comatose state where you feel as if you are in a world where your upmost wish is granted. In Dean's case he had wished that his mother was alive. The only way that they knew to get out of the coma was to kill yourself and the only way to kill the djinn was silver coated in lambs blood.

They acquired the lambs blood before heading to the abandoned hospital.

* * *

They each had their knives in hand as they entered the creepy place. "So according to my research this place has five upper stories and two basement levels. Since Djinn usually like to be underground I say we check the basement first." Sam suggested and they agreed.

"Okay, Sam, you take the ground level since that's where he caught Dave's friends, and Mia and I will take the next level, then we'll all take the lowest one." Dean added and Sam agreed, but Mia didn't.

"I can take the lowest level." She spoke up receiving a disagreeable look from Dean. "The faster we kill this thing the faster we can get out of this creepy ass place." She said and Dean tried to protest, but she cut him off. "Dean, I'm a big girl. I can take care of myself."

She didn't give him a chance to say anything else before she took off and went into the building. Dean walked down the stairs behind her until he came to the door that let out on the floor he was to search. "Scream if you're in trouble." He kissed her before he disappeared through the door, flashlight in one hand and blood dipped knife in the other.

Mia continued down and started looking. She hated old hospitals. With their rusted gurneys, old weathered wheelchairs and IV polls. Just the thought of how many people had died in this place sent a shiver down her spine. She had walked around a paint chipped brick wall when a hand clasped over her mouth from behind and pulled her back. She grabbed the hand and tried to fight back, but it was too strong. It spun her around and pressed her against the hard wall. Her eyes met the glowing blue ones of the dark headed djinn she had seen in the news paper. She raised her hand that still had her knife in it and tried to stab him, but he grabbed it and pounded it into the hard brick until she couldn't help but drop the knife.

She was defenseless as the jinn placed his glowing, tattooed hand over her forehead.

* * *

She set up in bed with a sigh and stretch and as she looked around the room she realized that she didn't know where she was. The bed she was in was too soft to be a cheap hotel bed and the comforter looked like something she would have chosen for herself, black and white floral. Black, white and red accents sat on the dresser at the end of the bed. "Babe, you okay?" she jumped at the voice of a man who had sat up to look at her with sleep in his eyes.

"Who are you?" she asked, wide eyed as she leaned away from him and pulled the covers up to hide her scantily clad chest.

The man just laughed at her. "Funny." He swiped a hand over his boyish face framed by dirty blond hair that was a little long, but didn't touch his shoulders. "It's Saturday." He said, as if she should know what that was supposed to mean, but she was still staring at him. He looked familiar, but she couldn't place where she knew him from. "Don't tell me you forgot about your dad's birthday party. You're supposed to be hosting it."

"Right, okay, well I'm going to go…take a shower." She said, blinking back her confusion as she wrapped the sheet around herself and headed to the door to her immediate right.

"That's the closet." The man, who was still in bed, said. She stopped and turned to see him pointing at the door to the left of the one she was about to open. "Are you sure you're okay?" the man asked and she just nodded as she opened up the bathroom door, went inside and closed it.

She held the sheet tightly to her chest as she leaned back on the door and released a breath. "Where am I?" she whispered to herself. She dropped the sheet and headed to the sink. The reflection in the mirror look like Maria, but different somehow. She no longer had bags under her eyes and the little scar next to her right eye from when she got hit in the face by a chair when she was eighteen, was also missing. She had reached her hand up to touch the non-existent scar, when she noticed a diamond ring on her left hand, beside it sat a thin band that was incrusted with diamonds all the way around. "I'm married and my dad's alive?" I wonder if… Without thinking she opened the door to see her husband putting on a clean white long sleeved shirt. "Hey are Mom and Keaton gonna be there?"

He turned to look at her with creased dark brows, making his familiar eyes look squinty. "Yeah, Keaton's gonna be there, but Babe, your mom died nine years ago."

"Right. I knew that. I was just testing you." She said waving it off as if she circled around to go into the closet. She liked what she saw as she skimmed the clothes that hung on her side of the closet. It was nothing but jeans, jean shorts, t-shirts and tank tops. She picked a pair of dark was jean's and a lacy black tank top, put them on and entered the bedroom to find her husband gone. So she sneaked around to his side of the bed and picked up the hospital badge that sat on it. "Dr. Erik Roth." She read aloud as she realized she was married to a doctor. "Erik Roth. Why does that name sound familiar?" she asked herself right before it clicked that he was her boyfriend in boarding school. "Well, I be damned."

A few minutes later she walked out of the bedroom to see him standing at the stove in the kitchen that sat behind the living room that she was now standing in. So she walked through the open room to take a seat at the bar. "Where did we meet?" she asked.

He glanced over his shoulder at her with a questioning look before he turned back to the pan on the stove. "You testin' me again?"

"Yeah, somethin' like that." She said with a hint of a smile in her voice, glad that he was playing along.

"We met in boarding school. You were wearing your school uniform on your first day because you didn't know that Thursdays were street clothes day. You bumped into me in the hallway and dropped your books. We became friends, eventually more and we've been together ever since." His explanation was longer than what she expected him to give. While he had been talking she was listening and looking around the room. She couldn't help but notice the photos hanging on the walls. Most of them were of her with a guitar in her hands. "Do I pass the test?" he asked with a laugh in his voice and she turned her eyes back to him.

"One more question." She said and he turned to put an omelet on the plate that she hadn't realized was sitting in front of her.

"Anything."

"Why did my dad send me to that boarding school?" she asked, trying to figure out the past that she didn't remember.

"Why are you asking me this?" he asked with a crease in his brow, not wanting to talk about her bad past.

"Please, just answer the question." She asked more then told him.

He sighed and nodded. "You started acting out after your mother died and he didn't know what to do with you. So he sent you there and you _kept_ acting out."

"When did I stop?" she asked and he walked around the bar with a creased brow. He sat his hands on her hips and rubbed them with his thumbs.

"Why are you drudging all this up?" he asked and she looked down at his stripped socks.

"Because I don't ever want to forget my past. So please, tell me when I stopped acting out." She asked and he tilted his head to the side.

He was about to say something when they heard the sound of little feet running down the stairs that were at the side of the living room. Maria just stared as a dark headed little girl in a Cinderella night gown ran across the white living room carpet and jumped into her arms. "Good morning Mommy." Maria had to hold back the tears that almost graced her face. She was a mother now.

"Answer my question, please, Erik." She said over the little girls shoulder as Erik rested his hand on the back of the little girls head.

"You stopped when you got pregnant with her and I asked you to marry me." he answered.

Maria was looking at the living room window when a loud voice echoed around in her head and a transparent face of a man, that appeared to be hanging in thin air, appeared in her vision. "Mia! Mia come back to me baby! No, no, no. Sam, call Bobby!"

"Maria, Maria!" the face disappeared along with the yelling as she turned to look at Erik. "She wants down." He motioned to the little girl and Maria quickly sat the girl down and she ran over to a wooden box that sat under one of the windows. "Lacey," Erik called and the little girl looked at him, "don't make too big a mess okay? We have your dentist appointment today." Lacey's face squished up at the mention of the dentist, but then the front door opened, Keaton walked in and Lacey's face lit up like a Christmas tree.

"Uncle Keaton!" Lacey yelled happily and took off running to throw herself into his open arms.

"Haha! How's my Lacey Bug doin'?" he asked and she giggled.

Without realizing that her feet were moving, Maria had walked over and pulled him into a hug. "It's good to see you."

"Mommy why are you crying?" Lacey asked and Maria pulled back to let go of her and Keaton.

"Ria, are you okay?" Keaton asked as he bent down and sat Lacey on the floor.

"Yeah, im just-" she started, but she stooped, squeezed her eyes closed and gripped her head in her hands as pain shot through it.

"Mia? Mia, baby, stay with me. Your dreaming, kill yourself, come back to me." When she opened her eyes she could see the transparent face of the same man as before. "Wake up, Mia, please." The masculine, voice pleaded with her along with the transparent face. She couldn't help but notice how sad and panicked the voice sounded.

"Maria, hay, what's going on? What's the matter?" Keaton asked as he rested his hand on her back. "Erik, what's wrong with her?" her brother pleaded as Erik started walking Maria over to the couch.

"Maria, talk to me, tell me what's happening." Erik said calmly as she sat down.

"I can't… I need to be alone." Mia said as she blinked rapidly and the transparent face faded along with the voice.

"What? No." "I'm not leaving you alone." Erik and Keaton said at the same time while Lacey sat crying and scared in the chair across the room.

"I said leave me alone!" Maria yelled as she smacked their hands away and they backed off. Erick turned around, scooped up Lacey from the chair, and headed up stairs. Keaton on the other hand hung back just staring at her.

"Are you on drugs again?" his question shocked her at first, then she remembered what Erik had said about her acting out.

"No, Keaton, I love you and I love that little girl, but I need to be left alone at the moment." She said placing her head back into her hands.

"Why?" he asked with his arms crossed over his muscular chest.

"Because I said so, now leave." She said as she stood up and tried to hide the fact that she got dizzy. Keaton made a show of placing his feet flat against the floor and putting his hands on his hips. "Fine." She made a run for the double doors of an office and Keaton didn't see it coming. He started frantically pounding on the locked door that she was leaning against. "What's going on? Why do I keep hearing things? And who am I hearing?" she asked herself, before it all came back to her in a rush. "Dean. It's Dean I'm hearing." She said with a sigh as she slid down the door. "The Djinn, got to me. This is all a dream…" She took a small moment to cry, before she pulled herself up off of the floor. It was time to kill herself and get back to real life.

She had already stayed in dream land too long. There was no telling what all had already happened in the real world. She didn't belong here and she didn't want to scare Dean anymore than she probably already had. So she went to the desk and started searching for something sharp. The best thing she could find was a fancy letter opener. She was about to plunge it onto her chest, to kill herself and get out of this coma, when Keaton appeared out of thin air. Maria stopped, but didn't drop the letter opener.

"Don't leave us, Ria, please." Her brother said with pleading eyes.

"I have to. I don't belong here." Maria answered, tears forming in her eyes at the use of his nick name for her.

"Where do you belong then?" he asked, his thick brows drawn together. "In a world where you are promised to a man that's gonna die in a few months, if he makes it that long?"

The tears started falling, she couldn't help it. "Yes, because that's real life. This is just a dream."

"This can be reality if you want it to be. In here you could live for sixty plus years. It will feel like a life time." Her brother said and she just shook her head.

"No. Dean didn't choose to leave me. We were not together when he made that deal. So I'm not going to choose to leave him." She replied.

"So you're choosing him over your blood." Her brother scoffed and crossed her arms over his chest.

"No, I'm choosing reality over a dream." She said as she raised the opener over her head and plunged it into her stomach. Her brother yelled and ran to her side to catch her as she fell to the ground and blacked out.

She could still hear her brother's screams, but as she came to her brother's voice faded into Dean's and Sam's. "Sam, what's Bobby sayin'?" Dean asked in a forced, harsh voice not taking his eyes off of Mia. "Come on Baby, don't do this to me." he softly begged her.

"There's nothing we can do Dean, she has to choose to wake up." Sam snapped the phone closed and walked over to crouch opposite of where Dean sat on the floor with Mia cradled in his arms.

"No! There has to be something else." Dean said as he pulled out his phone and dialed Bobby's number. "Come on…wake up!" he yelled out at her.

Mia moaned and squeezed her eyes closed. "Dean, she's waking up." Sam said as he locked eyes with his brother, and she felt Sam's hand grip one of hers in his.

Dean snapped the phone closed and moved one of his hands to cup her sweaty face in it. "Mia, Baby, you with me?" he asked and she slowly opened her eyes, squinting as they adjusted to the light.

"Dean…" she sighed and smiled up at him. She just stared at his tear covered face before she realized that Sam was holding her hand. When she turned her eyes to his she realized that he had been crying too. She knew Sam cared about her, but she didn't realize how much until now. "Sammy…" she sighed as she reached up with a weak hand to pat him on the cheek then let her hand fall back on her stomach.

He laughed at her calling him the nickname that she knew he hated. Then she turned her eyes back to Dean. "How long was I out for?" she asked with a scratchy voice as she reached up and wiped away a little of the wetness on his face.

"Long enough for him to almost drain you dry." He answered. "I thought I had lost you."

"Nope." She sighed before she tried to stand up, but couldn't. So the brothers each wrapped an arm around her and helped her up. The warmth of the loving arms, that held her up comforted her more than anything in the world could.

It wasn't until they turned around that she saw the djinn dead on the concrete floor, a silver blade sticking out of his chest. "Good work guys." She said with a hit of laughter in her faint voice.

"Okay let's just get you out of here." Dean said as he placed his other arm under the backs of her knees and picked her up.

As soon as he placed her in the back seat of the Impala and slid in next to her she placed her head on his leg and instantly fell asleep. He gave Sam the keys and let him drive to the motel. She didn't wake when he picked her up and brought her to their room. He placed her on their bed, dug the first aid kit out of her bag and cleaned the hole in her neck that the IV needle had left behind.

When a band aid was place over the hole, he slid in next to her fully clothed, but he couldn't go to sleep. He was still awake a few hours later when she woke up with a sigh and tried to stretch. This pulled at the skin on her neck. She winced and touched the band aid. "How're you feeling?" Dean asked from where he sat in a chair at the table reading a magazine.

"Like a train ran over my head." She said as she moved off of the bed to sit in the second chair. He got up, dug around in his bag and came back to drop two aspirin in her hand. She popped them in her mouth while he opened a bottle of water and handed it to her. She took it and used it to wash down the bitter pills. "Thanks." She said with a sigh as she looked down at the table as she remembered her coma. He quietly read his magazine, knowing if she wanted to talk about it or something else, she would. He didn't want to push her. "It all felt so real…" She admitted as she looked up at him from the table. "That…coma, or dream or whatever you want to call it, it felt real." She said again when he didn't say anything.

"Yep, that's how they get you." he said as he closed the magazine and sat it to the side.

She nodded her head. "I didn't remember who I was in there. I didn't know you or Sam." She told him before taking a sip of water. "But I kept seeing your face, yelling at me that it was just a dream and that I needed to kill myself. The more I saw your face the more I remembered who you were and the truth of it all." She didn't know if she was talking to him or herself at this point, but she knew she needed to get it all out and in the open. "When you got…touched or whatever, where you married?" she asked and he sighed as he sat up and leaned on the table with his elbows.

"Yeah, I was married to the El Sol Beer chick." He said with a small laugh and Mia looked at him as if he was kidding. "Seriously, her name was Carmon." He said making her shake her head.

"Leave it to you." she laughed.

"Were you married in yours?" he asked and she looked at the table as she nodded. "To who?"

"You really wanna know?" she asked and he hummed out a positive answer. "My boarding school boyfriend."

"The one that dumped you?" Dean asked, whishing it was him that she had been married to. "And the part that was even crazier than the fact that I was married was that we had a daughter."

"Wow." He said before he took a drink of his beer. "You, a mom?" he asked and she just nodded, remembering the feeling of little arms wrapped around her neck. "I'd pay good money to see that." He laughed and she smiled at him, wondering if he had ever thought about the two of them having a kid together, but she dismissed the thought as soon as it popped into her head. "So what did you do for a living?" he asked to change the topic.

"I don't know. I just saw a lot of pictures of me on stage at bars."

He smiled, knowing that if she had the right person to help her, she could make it big. "What about your family, were they alive?" he asked.

"Keaton and Dad were alive, but mom was dead." She said as she absentmindedly played with her fingernails. She wished her mother had been alive in there, just so she could have seen her face again.

"My dad was dead in mine." He said and she just nodded as she looked at him with sleepy eyes. "Why don't we get some sleep?" he jerked his head toward the bed and she agreed. They both stripped off their dirty street clothes and slid between the sheets. Their legs intertwined and Dean kissed her as he wrapped his arm around her holding her to him while she laid her head on his other arm. She had her arms tucked comfortably between them with her palms pressed to his hard chest. "I love you Mia." He whispered before he placed a light kiss against her forehead.

"I love you too Dean." She smiled up at him and placed a weak kiss on his lips before he reached over and turned out the light.


	21. Chapter 21

Disclaimer: See chapter one.

**Sleeping with the ally**

**Chapter 21**\- Long Distance Call.

"So we're doing this again?" Maria asked from where she sat on a bench next to Dean before she bit into a hot dog from the stand across the street.

"Yep." Dean confirmed as he threw his arm over her shoulder, pulling her closer to him. His eyes scanned her quickly from head to toe. He loved the way her jeans fit her just right and how she didn't care that they didn't match the denim jacket that Sam had bought her that she wore over a light gray sequined tank top. He absentmindedly let his fingers play with the tendrils of her wavy hair that she had let hang down over her shoulders today.

"It can't hurt you know?" she sighed. Dean just shrugged and his phone started ringing, so he un-wrapped his arm from around her shoulders to answer it.

"Hello?" Dean asked and she could hear Bobby's voice on the other end. "Yeah, okay, we'll head that way." Dean remained quiet as he listened to Bobby telling him the details of a case. Mia was about to finish her hot dog when the smell of the sauerkraut that was on Dean's hot dog was blown up her nose by the wind. Her stomach suddenly started to churn. She plastered her hand over her mouth as she frantically looked for the nearest garbage can. She barely made it to one before she moved her hand and let her lunch burn its way up her throat and into the trash bin. "Yep, I got it. Okay. Bye." Dean hung up the phone and headed over to Mia who was wiping her mouth with the napkin that she had been holding her hot dog with. "Hey, are you okay?" he asked as he placed his hand on the small of her back.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Probably just bad food or something." She replied as Sam walked up to them.

"So?" Dean asked his brother, not making a big deal out of the fact that Mia had just puked her guts up into a collage campus trash can. Now that she thought about it, she probably wasn't the first person to do that.

"So the professor doesn't know crap." Sam answered while tucking his hands into his pockets.

"Well, it was worth a try, I guess." Mia said and Dean rolled his eyes.

"Hey, are you okay?" Sam asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine." She replied as she waved him off.

"Pack your panties, Sammy. We're hitting the road." Dean hit his brother on the chest as he walked by.

Maria stayed a few feet away from them knowing there was going to be an argument. "What? What's up?" Sam asked with a look at her before he turned to Dean.

"That was Bobby. Some banker guy blew his head off in Ohio and he thinks there's a spirit involved." Dean explained to the both of them.

"So you two were talking a case?" Sam asked, sounding confused.

"No, we were, uh, we were talking about our feelings." Dean quipped. "And our favorite boy bands. Yeah, we were talking a case." Dean sounded a little hostile, so Mia picked up her pace to get to the car first. "A banker was complaining about some electrical problems at his pad for like a week. Phones going haywire, computers flipping on and off. Eh?" Dean said and Sam looked at the ground still confused. "This not ringing any bells?"

Mia stopped a few feet behind them, waiting for the disagreement to end already. "Well, sure, yeah. But, Dean, we're on a case." Sam explained.

"Who's?" Dean's asked, playing stupid.

"Yours." Sam answered, looking at Dean as if it were the obvious answer.

"Right, yeah. Well, you could have fooled me." Dean moved to walk away.

"What the hell else have we been doing lately other than trying to break your deal?" Sam asked not moving from where he stood.

"Chasing our tails, that's what." Dean turned back around to look at his brother. Mia sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Sam we've talk to every professor, witch, soothsayer and two-bit carny act in the lower 48. Nobody knows squat." Dean said. Sam just stared at him, not giving up. "And we can't find Bela. We can't find the Colt. So until we actually find something, I'd like to do my job."

"Well there's one thing we haven't tried." Sam said and Dean turned away.

"No, Sam—"

"We should summon Ruby."

"I'm not gonna have this fight with you." Dean was getting aggravated so Mia turned back around and headed over to them try and calm the storm.

"Hey, guys, come on. Don't do this here." She said, but got ignored.

"She said she know's how to save you." Sam interrupted her.

"Well, she can't." Dean practically yelled.

"Oh really, you know that for sure?" Sam asked.

"I do."

"How?"

"Because she told me, okay?" Dean said and with this being out in the open, Mia walked off and got in the Impala.

Sam slid into the front seat with a huff and looked over the seat at Mia where she sat with a long face. "Did you know?" he asked.

"Know what?" she asked pretending to not know what he was talking about.

"Don't play stupid. Did you know that Ruby lied to me?" he asked. Mia nodded solemnly. "Good to know I can trust you." He sighed as he turned to the front.

"Look, Sam, it wasn't my secret to tell. I wasn't there when she told him that she couldn't save him. What was I supposed to do?" she explained as she leaned up to look at him over the seat.

"You're supposed to be my friend." He turned to look at her with glaring eyes.

"I _am_ your friend." She insisted with a straight face.

"Hey, I wonder where we could grab some pie around here." Dean broke their stare when he opened the door and slid into the driver's seat.

* * *

Sam and Dean were dressed in suits and ties as they followed the wife of the man that had killed himself through the house. Maria, dressed in a navy pantsuit with her hair in a high, wavy ponytail, followed not far behind. "I found him there." The wife, Mrs. Waters, said as she motioned to the room that sufficed as her husband's office.

"Why don't you just tell us everything you saw, Mrs. Waters?" Dean asked as they looked around the room.

"You mean besides my dead husband?" she asked a little too snarky for Mia's taste, but then again this was a grieving woman, so she let it slid.

"Just flatter us, please?" Mia asked with a timid smile.

"There was blood, everywhere." She explained with a look into the room before she turned back to the three supposed detectives standing in front of her. "The phone was ripped from the wall, his favorite Scotch on the desk. What else could you possibly wanna know?"

"Why was the phone ripped from the wall?" Sam asked and the wife shrugged. "Do you mind if I take a look?" he asked and she motioned for him to go ahead.

Mia walked with Sam to the phone and watched as he scanned through the past few calls. "I already went over all of this with the other detectives." The woman complained and Dean answered with the usual response. Maria's brows furrowed as she looked at what was supposed to be a phone number, SHA33.

"Ma'am, what time did your husband die?" Sam asked making Mia look up to see her response. The man died sometime after 11. The call was made at 11:04pm. Dean looked at them and Sam tapped the phone.

"What about strange phone calls?" Dean asked the woman. "Receive any of those lately? Weird interference, static, anything like that?" the woman answered twice that she didn't and Dean looked to Mia, knowing she would be reading the wife's mind. Mia tucked her hand into her pocket, a subtle signal that she had worked out with the boys to let them know if someone was lying. "Mrs. Water, withholding information from the police is a capital offense." Sam cleared his throat letting Dean know he was being too harsh. "In some parts of the world, I'm sure."

Mrs. Waters sighed heavily before she started talking. "A couple of weeks ago, uh, there was this…"

"This what?" Mia asked as she walked over to stand next to Dean.

"I woke up one morning and I heard Ben in his study. I thought he was talking to a woman." She explained.

"What made you think that?" Sam asked.

"Because he kept calling her Linda." The woman answered and Sam walked over to stand beside Dean. "The thing is…I picked up the other line and nobody was there. Ben was talking to nobody."

"There was nothing on the other side at all?" Mia asked wanting to get as much info as possible.

"Just static." The wife answered.

"Did you ever speak to Ben about this phone call?" Sam asked.

"No. I should've, but no." the wife was on the verge of crying.

"Did he ever say who Linda was?" Sam asked.

"What difference does it make?! There was no one on the other end!" the wife yelled getting aggravated with them.

"Okay, well, I think we have everything we need. We'll get out of your hair now." Mia said softly with a looked between the two men as they headed to the door with the wife on their tail. She shut the door on them without another word. They were walking to the car when the smell of the trash in the family's trash can invaded her nose sending her stomach into summersaults, and not in the good way. She slapped her hand over her mouth and this time she had nowhere to run to so she did the only thing she could think to do and ran to the other side of the yard as far away from the boys as she could get, then let her breakfast come up.

The boys just watched from afar until she was done and started walking over to them. Dean met her half way across the yard and walked with her back to the car. "What was that about?" he asked as she slid into the driver's seat.

"I honestly have no idea." She huffed as she got into the passenger seat of the car and slid over to sit next to Dean.

"Are you feeling okay?" he asked as he threw his arm across the back of the seat, his hand resting on her shoulder where he rubbed his thumb back and forth.

"Yeah, I feel fine now. I was feeling fine before and then I smelled the trash and I lost it." She explained and she looked back and forth between Dean and Sam, who was sitting in the back seat, to see them both looking at her skeptically. "I'm fine, I swear." Dean just cranked the car and took off without another word.

* * *

Sam laid across his bed staring off into space while Dean searched the internet for whoever this Linda chick was that Ben had been talking to, while Mia sat on her and Dean's bed reading through a book for anything that could help with a phone ghost. "Linda's a babe. Or was." She heard Dean say and she threw the pencil that she had been twiddling with in his direction. Sam asked if he had found her. "Yeah, Linda Bateman." Dean explained and Mia eagerly laid the book aside to get up and look at the computer screen. "She and, uh, Ben Waters were high-school sweethearts." Dean explained and Mia asked what happened. "A drunk driver hit them head on. Ben walked away."

"So what then, a dead flame calls to chat?" Sam asked.

"You would think, but Linda was cremated. So why is she still floating around?" Dean asked as he stood from the computer and wrapped his arm around Mia's side.

"You got me." Sam said still sitting on the end of the bed.

"What about that, uh, caller id?" Dean asked.

"Turns out it's a phone number." He answered.

"What kind of phone number only has five digits?" Mia asked with a creased brow.

"One that's about a century old, from back when phones had cranks." Sam explained.

"So why use that number to reach out and touch someone?" Dean asked.

"You got me there too, but either way, we should run a trace on it." Sam said making Mia scratch her head.

"How are we gonna trace a number over a hundred years old?" Dean asked mimicking her thoughts.

"I'm guessing we go straight to the phone company." Mia sighed as they grabbed their suit jackets and headed out.

* * *

"We don't get too many folks from HQ down here." A bald guy in a suit with a badge pinned to his chest that had the name Clark on it, said as he led the three of them down a hall.

"Yes, well the main office mentioned that there would be a lunch." Dean said and Mia elbowed him.

"Well I'm sure we can arrange something." The man said having no idea what Dean was talking about. "The man you wanna be speaking to is right this…" the man trailed off when Sam and Mia swatted at a fly. "I know, Sorry. We've got something of a hygiene issue down here if you ask me." he explained apologetically. They walked a little ways further into a room full of computers. "Stewie, what did I tell you about keeping this place clean?" Clark asked.

The first thing Mia's eyes landed on was the computer screen that was loaded with porn pages. "I don't know how all these got here." The geeky looking Indian guy who was sitting behind it, Stewie, said as he panicked and started trying to close all the windows.

"Stewie Meyers." Clark introduced them to Stewie then told him their names, but stewie wasn't paying attention. So Clark thumped him in the back of the head and turned him around. "From headquarters."

"Oh." A sweaty Stewie answered as he took in their clean suits and ties.

"You give these gentlemen whatever they need." Clark said before he walked out leaving them with Stewie.

"So…can I help you?" Stewie asked, his Indian accent hung heavily in his voice.

"Is that, uh, ?" Dean asked making Maria elbow him in his side. He smiled at her, but she gave him a dirty look.

"No." Stewie said before an Asian woman popped up on the screen and said something seductive. He quickly closed it out. "Maybe."

"Word of the wise. Platinum membership. Worth every penny." Dean looked down at the disgusting man with a smirk.

Maria told him to shut up as Sam stepped up and handed Stewie the number that they needed him to trace. "Where did you get this number?" Stewie asked. Sam told him where they had gotten it. "Oh, no, that's impossible."

"We know it hasn't been used in a while." Mia spoke up getting Stewie's attention.

"A while? It's prehistoric. Trust me, nobody's using this number anymore." Stewie said as he looked her up and down then turned his attention back to the guys.

"Could you run it anyways?" Sam asked.

"Sure. Why don't I just rearrange my whole life first?" Stewie asked making them all roll their eyes at him.

Dean looked at Mia and gave her a wink before he started walking closer to Stewie. "Listen, Uh, Stewie. You got like, six kinds of employee-code violations down here not to mention the sickening porn clogging up your hard drive." Dean said as he leaned over to get in Stewie's face. "So when my partner says run the number, I suggest you run the number." The authority in his voice made Maria smirk at him.

"Okay, whatever. Jeez." Stewie remarked as he turned around and started running a search on the number. Dean turned to his brother and gave him a cocky, shit eating grin, then turned to Maria who gave him a quick peck on the lips. They all turned to the computer screen when they heard it pull up some results. "Holy crap." Sam asked him what he had found. "I can't tell you where the number comes from, but I can tell you where it's been going." Stewie got up and pulled a piece of paper out of the printer. "Ten different houses in the past two weeks." Sam took the paper from him and Maria moved to look at it with him. "All got calls from the same number." The three of them looked at the piece of paper as Stewie sat down in his chair then turned to look at them. "So are we done here? 'Cause I was sort of… busy." He said awkwardly.

"Right." Dean said as he pointed at him with a smirk.

"Oh, gross." Mia scoffed as she took off walking leaving the guys behind her. She had been listening to Stewie's thoughts the whole time, so she heard him thinking about her ass as he watched her walk away. "And stop looking at my ass, both of you." she said as she was walking.

"Hey how did she-?" Stewie began to ask.

"Don't ask." Dean cut him off before he started following her. "So did you pick up anything weird from him?" Dean asked once they got out of the building. "And I thought you didn't read my mind."

"I didn't read your mind. I read his and assumed you were doing the same." She said as she pulled open the back passenger door of the Impala and slid in to sit in the middle. "And no, other than some extremely dirty thoughts about all of us all uh… together, he's clean." She said as he got behind the wheel and started the car.

* * *

"Okay, so I say we all go talk to these people, see if we can figure out what's going on." Sam suggested where they all sat in the hotel room.

"Okay, sounds like a plan. If we all split up it will be less suspicious and we can get things done faster." Dean said as he walked around the room thinking. "But Mia can read minds, so should we all go together, have the jump on anything weird?" he asked as he turned to Mia with questioning eyes.

"Na, it'll be quicker if we all split up. You guys did fine without me before so you'll be fine now." She explained from where she stood up from her and Dean's bed and grabbed her purse.

"Okay, splitting up it is." Dean said with a look at Sam who nodded in agreement. "So I'll drop you two off at the rental car service and we'll go from there."

* * *

Maria had no intention of going to investigate any of the numbers on the paper that Sam had copied. Instead she called the nearest doctor's office. Thankfully it wasn't a busy day for them and they could see her as soon as she got to there.

The office smelled of rubbing alcohol and a heavily scented candle. It instantly gave her a headache and made her feel queasy. She just bit her tongue as she signed herself in and gave the man behind the counter her insurance card when he asked for it. In return she received a clipboard of paperwork for her to fill out. She lied on it of course and she was taken back to a room as soon as her insurance was approved and she returned the clipboard. The nurse that walked her to the room sat down at the computer and started asking her questions.

"Name and birth date?" The pretty, young, blond headed woman asked and Maria told her. The nurse put all of her information and vitals into the computer. "Okay, one last question before I go get the doctor." She said with a smile as she continued to do things on the computer in front of her. "When was the first day of your last period?"

"Oh, um, I… I can't remember." Mia answered as she started trying to remember her last period. As the thought about it she realized that it had been over a month since she'd had one. "It's been over a month." Mia answered feeling as if she was about to have a panic attack.

"Okay, that's not completely uncommon." The nurse said trying to defuse the situation. "I'll go get the doc." She said as she pushed back the rolling stool and left the room.

A few seconds later a woman in a long white coat entered the room. "So, Maggie, I'm Dr. Snyder. What's brought you in today?" she asked as she sat down on the rolling stool and moved to sit right across from Maria.

"Well, I've been getting nauseated when I smell certain things and I've been feeling really tired." Mia answered numbly. "I think I might be pregnant." Her words came out in a whisper of realization as tears threatened to fall.

"Okay, since my nurse said that your period is late, that's what I'm going with too. So why don't you take this cup to the bathroom, bring us back a sample then wait here for the results of the pregnancy test?" Dr. Snyder asked as she pulled a plastic wrapped cup out of the bottom of the small cabinet that was in the corner of the room and sat it in Maria's numb hand.

She did as asked then sat in the room for what felt like forever, picking nervously at her nails, before the doctor came into the room. "Well, Miss Morris, you're pregnant." The doctor sat on the rolling stool that she pulled up to be sitting across from her again. "You're in shock." The doctor guessed as she took in the blank stare that Maria cast at her.

"Yeah…you could say that." Mia answered flatly before she blinked away the shock to look into the doctors eyes. "How far along am I?"

"We'll have to do an ultrasound to be sure." The doctor answered as she got up and headed to the door. "I'll send the ultrasound tech in then we will take it from there." She gave Mia a smile before she walked out.

"_I can't believe I let this happen. What am I going to tell Dean? I'm going to have a child that he'll never meet… oh, my god…I can't do this…oh god…"_ she thought to herself, panicking as she took in a deep breath. She was releasing it when a woman walked in with a machine that sat on a cart with wheels.

"Hi, my name's Lindsey. The ultrasound tech." Mia smiled weakly at her. Lindsey patted the tan bed that she had pulled the machine up to. "I need you to hop up here, lean back and raise your shirt." Mia did as asked, laid back on the bed and lifted her shirt. "This is going to be cold." The tech warned as she squirted clear gel on Mia's stomach and smeared it around with the tool in her hand. Mia watched as an image appeared on the black and white screen. "You see this circle here?" the tech asked and Mia just nodded. "That's the amniotic sac and you see this tiny little bean?" she asked as she pointed to the image on the screen. "That's your baby."

"So how far along am I?" Mia asked the question again, focusing on the answer just to have something to concentrate on.

"I'd say about three weeks give or take a day or two." The tech answered and Mia released a breath that she didn't realize she had been holding in. The doctor pressed a button and the image on the screen was printed on a piece of paper that Mia now held in her hands. "Do you have any more questions for the doctor?"

"No, I think I have all the information I need." Mia answered formally, as if she were an FBI agent instead of vulnerable woman sitting in a doctor's office.

"Okay. There's a free bottle of prenatal vitamins waiting for you are the front along with some great Gynecologists for you to call. If you need anything else don't hesitate to call us." The cheery technician smiled as she opened to door and waved Mia out.

After that, she didn't know what to do with herself. She just sat in the rented car staring at the piece of paper in her hand. The little bean in the center of the small circle on the black and white picture had wrapped its non-existent hands around her lungs and was squeezing tight. When she felt like she was on the verge of a panic attack she tucked the picture into her purse then squeezed her eyes shut and rested her head back onto the headrest.

She focused on breathing evenly and slowly until she felt like she could drive again. And when she could she cranked the car and returned it to the rental service. She was just walking out of the building when her phone started ringing. When she saw that it was Dean, she flipped the pink razor open and answered it. "Hey."

"Hey, Babe, I'm done with my people. How about you?" he asked. She could hear the wind blowing around the phone, so she knew he was outside somewhere.

"Yeah, I just turned in the car." She answered, not mentioning that she didn't ever go talk to anyone. As she started walking down the sidewalk she noticed the impala not far away.

"Want me to come pick you up?" he asked.

"No, I can see your car from here. I'll meet you there." She said and Dean agreed before they hung up.

She was leaning against the driver's side of the car when she saw Dean walking down the street in his suit, his phone to his ear. "Stiff's are callin' people all over town. I just talked to an 84 year old grandmother who's been having phone sex with her husband who died in Korea. Completely rocked my understanding of the word necrophilia." As Dean said this, a girl in a short denim skirt walked around him and scoffed in disgust. Dean turned and watched her walk by. When he turned around he noticed that Maria had been watching him. Her arms crossed over her chest and he knew he was gonna get it. "Beat's me, but we better find out soon because this place is turning into spook central." He said as he stopped walking and stood chest to chest with Mia. He sat one hand on her hip and kissed her before he hung up on who he was talking to. She didn't scold him like he was expecting her to, instead she pecked him on the cheek and moved to the passenger side and pulled the door open as Dean's phone started ringing. She was about to slid in, but stopped when she heard Dean say "Dad?"

* * *

"I mean Dad? You really think it was Dad?" Sam asked from where he sat on the end of his bed while Mia laid on the other bed in the room, lost in her own thoughts, while Dean paced the room looking troubled. "Well, what did he sound like?"

"Like Oprah. It was Dad, he sounded like Dad. What do you think?" Dean popped off. Mia wasn't even listening to them.

"What did he say?" Sam asked.

"My name." Dean replied, still pacing.

"That's it?" Sam asked.

"Yeah, then the call dropped out." Dean answered, stopping to put his hands in his pockets.

"Why would he even call in the first place, Dean?" Sam asked sounding aggravated.

"I don't know man. Why are ghosts callin' anybody in this town?" Dean said walking away from them just to turn and walk back. "I mean, other people are hearing from their loved ones. Why can't we. It's at least a possibility, right?"

"Yeah, I guess." Sam agreed.

Dean moved to sit down on the foot of the bed Mia was laying on and faced Sam. "Okay so what if… what if it really is Dad? What happens if he call's back?"

"What do you mean?" Sam asked, confused.

"What do I say?" Dean asked, sounding a little emotional.

"Hello." Sam said, seriously.

"Hello?" Dean asked, now getting aggravated. "That's what you come back with? Hello?" Dean asked as he stood up from the edge of the bed, grabbed his coat and headed for the door. "Mia, you wanna weigh in here?" he asked, his hand gripping the doorknob.

"Huh?" she asked. Having been lost in her own thoughts, she hadn't heard a word of what they had been saying. "I'm sorry, what are y'all arguing about now?"

Dean just rolled his eyes and walked out, leaving her alone with Sam who looked at her, sighed then let his head fall forward. Maria, caring less about what they were arguing about this time, laid back down to stare up of the popcorn textured ceiling. _Should I tell Dean? Should I not tell him? Should I tell Sam? No. I need to tell Dean first…if I tell him at all. Damn… What am I gonna do? I can't tell Dean, but I have to. I'm going to have his child. Oh my god…I'm gonna be a mom. I can't be a mom I'm a hunter. I never wanted my kids to be raised like me. Moving from town to town to town, living in a car. A hated the way I was raised, mom was good at dealing with it, but I can't be like that. Oh god…_ Maria didn't realized it, but she had been staring up at the ceiling, completely and totally lost in her thoughts.

"Maria? Maria!" Sam asked, waving a hand in front of her face. She blinked rapidly, before grabbing his hand and pushing it out of her face. "What's up with you?" he asked taking his hand from hers.

"Nothing. I'm fine. I'm just a little distracted." She said before she slid off of the bed and went to the bathroom. Once inside she pressed her back to the door with a sigh. _I've got to get it together and pretend like nothing is going on or I'm going to be caught._ She thought before she flushed the toilet and ran water into the sink to make Sam think she had really used the bathroom. "So what were you and Dean arguing about?" she asked as she walked out still drying her hands.

"He thinks the call was really from Dad." He said from where he sat on the couch doing research on his computer.

"And what do you think?"

"I think he's full of crap. It can't be Dad. Dad's dead and we burned his body." Sam explained. "What do you think?" he asked he her.

"I think it could be him, but we need to figure out what's goin' on around here before we get too excited. I mean, I haven't gotten a call from any of my family." She said before she walked over to the bed where she had set her coat.

"Where are you going?" Sam asked as she put on the jacket he had bought her. He had to admit that it looked good on her.

"To find your brother and make sure he's not too mad."

* * *

"Find anything." Dean asked his brother as he and Maria walked into the room. Mia headed to the small kitchen and started pulling things out of a grocery bag.

"After three hours I have found no reason why anything supernatural would be going on here." Sam replied exhaustedly as he looked up at his brother.

"Wow, you'd think a Stanford education and a high-school hookup rate of 0.0 would produce better results than that." Dean quipped and Mia laughed from where she stood placing hambergur meat into a skillet. She apologized to Sam over her shoulder.

"Hilarious." Sam shot back.

"Sam, you're just looking in the wrong places, pal."

"And what are the right places, Dean." Sam asked unenthused.

"Motel pamphlet rack." Dean said as he tossed some pamphlets onto the coffee table. "Milan, Ohio, birthplace of Thomas Edison"

"Yeah, right, so what?" Sam asked.

"Keep reading." Dean said with an eyeroll. The smell of cooking meat drew Dean over to her. He wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her neck. "Thanks for this."

"You're welcome." She smiled at him trying to keep what she had found out today off of her mind.

"You're kidding?" Sam asked with a smile from where he stood with the pamphlet in his hands. Dean just wiggled his brows at Sam in response before turning back to love on Mia.

Sam couldn't help stealing glances at his brother and Maria. They both looked so happy, but he couldn't deny that he didn't feel something for Maria. If his brother hadn't taken an interest in her then he eventually would have. At first he thought she was just some stupid woman who decided to let a hell of a lot of demons out of a gate, just to try to bring her family back from the dead. But as he got to know her he realized that she was actually a pretty cool chick. Of course her naturally good looks didn't exactly hamper his opinion of her. On more than one occasion he had caught himself eyeing her glossed plump lips and had to avert his gaze before his brother noticed.

* * *

"And we're walking and we're walking and we're walking." The tour guide at the musiem said as she directed them toward a room. "And here we have one of the museum's most unique and treasured possessions: Thomas Edison's "Spirit Phone"." She said making quotation marks in the air with her fingers. "Did you know that Mr. Edison, while being one of America's most beloved inventors was also a devout "occultist"? ooh.." she said making more quotations in the air and ending the small statement with a spooky noise.

"What's with the quote-y fingers?" Dean whispered to her and Sam.

"I don't know, but she's too cheery. Can I punch her?" Mia asked receiving a dirty look from the woman in front of her and a suppressed laugh from Dean.

"He spent years working on this, his final invention which he was convinced could be used to "communicate" with the "dead". Pretty spooky huh?" the tour guide asked. Before she looked at her watch. "and we're walking, we are walking. We're walking and we're not touching that." The tour guide continued annoyingly.

"And I'm trying not to punch you." Maria said mimicking the tour guides cheery voice.

Dean just smirked at her and asked Sam if he was getting anything on the emf detector. "Nothing." Dean asked him what he thought. "Honestly? It kind of looks like an old pile of junk to me."

"It's not even plugged in." Dean said, examining the machine.

"Maybe it didn't work like that." Sam said.

"Okay. Maybe it's like a radio tower, you know? Broadcasting the dead all over town." Dean said and Mia nodded, admiring how smart Dean could be sometimes. "The caller ID is 100 years old, right? Right around the time this thing was built."

"Could be." Sam said with a shrug.

"Sounds legit to me." Mia agreed and shrugged one shoulder. She was glad the she had the case to concentrate on.

"But why would it start working now?" Sam asked.

"I don't know. But as long as the moldy are calling the fresh, it's the best reason we got."

"Yeah, maybe." Dean agreed letting it drop.

"So maybe it really is Dad." Mia didn't miss the hopefulness in Dean's eyes. She hadn't known him when his dad was alive. She hadn't even seen him around his dad other than right after they killed yellow eyes. But she knew from what she saw when Dean drank the dream root tea that his relationship with his dad hadn't been that great. So she took his hand in hers with a sigh, hoping that he wouldn't get his hopes too high.

* * *

Maria woke up in the middle of the night and felt around for Dean to find that he wasn't there like he had been when she fell asleep. She sat up with a yawn and looked around to see his silhouette sitting at the small dining table. On silent feet she walked closer and saw the he was staring off into space. The only things on the table were his cell phone and a cup of coffee that he held loosely in his hand. He jumped when she touched his shoulder. "Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you." she said as she rested her hand on his back. He slid his hand around her back and pulled her into his side. "Whatcha' doin'?" she asked sleepily.

"Nothin' I just couldn't sleep." He said, not wanting her to know that he was waiting for his dad to call.

"Dean, I'm not blind." She said moving to sit in the chair across from him. "You're waiting for your dad to call again." He didn't miss that she glanced at his phone.

"Yeah, because if he called once he could call again. I don't want to miss it." Dean explained before taking a sip of the coffee that had remained untouched until then.

"Dean, we don't know for sure if that's your dad." Mia started, keeping her tone gentle, as if he might explode on her for thinking that it couldn't really be John that called him.

"But we don't know that it's not." He argued a little louder than he meant to and they both watched as Sam turned away from them in his sleep.

Mia scratched above her creased brow as she stared at Dean, trying to put herself in his shoes. The more she thought about it the more she realized that if it were her mom on the phone, calling her, she would probably be acting exactly like Dean was right now. "I'm not saying that it's not your dad that called you."

"Then what are you trying to say?" Dean interrupted her, sounding a little angry at her.

She stood from her chair and moved to stand in front of Dean. "All I'm saying," she swiped her fingers through his short hair as bent down to be eye level with him. Her brows drew together in sympathy as she looked into his green eyes. There were so many mixed emotions dancing in them that she wished she could figure out and take some of them away. "Is that I don't want you to get your hopes too high." He just nodded, grabbed her hips and pulled her to sit in his lap. "I'd really hate to see you get hurt by whatever this is." She said still looking into his eyes.

"Thanks." He whispered before he pressed his lips to hers.

As she looked into his eyes she decided to tell him what she had found out earlier that day, but his phone started ringing. He quickly let go of her and picked it up to see sha33 on the screen. He flipped it open and answered it as he headed to the bathroom to keep from waking Sam.

Mia followed, entering the bathroom rather he wanted her to or not. "Is it really you?" she heard Dean ask and she walked around to stand in front of Dean. "How can I be sure?"

"You can't." She heard a muffled male voice on the other end of the phone say. "Dean, how could you do it?" the voice, John, asked.

"Do what?" Dean asked back. Mia mouthed for Dean to put it on speaker phone, but he shook his head no.

"Sell your soul." She heard the muffled words although she assumed Dean didn't know she could.

"I was looking after Sam, like you told me to." Dean said turning away from her as he spoke to his dad.

"I never wanted this, Never." Maria's brow's drew together as she wondered if she should just leave and let them talk. If it was Dean's dad or not didn't matter, it was personal for him. "You're my boy. I love you." John told Dean as he walked toward her pacing. When she heard those words from John she decided it was time for her to leave Dean alone and headed to the door. She was turning the knob when she felt Dean grab her hand.

"I don't know how to stop it." Dean said as he pulled her closer to him. A silent signal to stay.

"Because it you break the deal Sam dies, right?" John asked and this time she could clearly hear his voice because Dean and pulled her into his side.

"What?" Dean asked, surprised that John knew that.

"Well, I know a way out for both of you."

"How?" Dean asked mimicking Mia's thoughts.

"The demon who holds your contract, he's here. Now." The look that John's words brought to Dean's face made Mia hope with everything in her that that was really John. That what he was saying was true. She really wanted to believe that there was a way to save Dean from the pit, but something in her just couldn't believe it.

She didn't let Dean know it though. She stood by him as he listened to John tell Dean that there was an exorcism that would kill the demon that held his contract.

* * *

Mia sat on their bed looking through a book for the exorcism that John had told them about while Dean did other research on the computer. Sam had gone to the library to do research on the spirit phone. Now would be a good time to tell him that she was pregnant, but she couldn't make herself do it.

"What's up?" Dean asked when his brother walked into the room.

"That girl, Lanie, her mom's ghost spooked her out pretty bad last night." Sam said as he tucked his hands into the pockets of his Carhartt jacket.

"That sucks." Dean said not really caring about the girl.

"Yeah, it does." Sam relied as Dean dug around in a stack of papers. "What are you doin?"

"I think Dad's right. I think the demon is here." Dean said as he stood up and handed Sam the papers he found. "Check it out."

"What is this, weather reports?" Sam asked as he and Mia watched Dean dig around in his bag that was sitting on the bed at Mia's feet.

"Omens. Demonic omens." Dean stopped digging in his bag to answer his brother. "Electrical storms everywhere we've been for the past two weeks."

"I don't remember any lightening storms." Sam said mimicking Mia's thoughts.

"I don't remember you studying meteorology as a kid, either." Dean quipped making Sam roll his eyes. "But I'm telling you, that bastard's been tailing me wearing some poor dude's meat."

"And it's following you because…?" Sam drawled.

"I guess I'm big game, you know? My ass is too sweet to let out of sight." Dean said with a smirk at Mia. She smirked back because it's hard not to smile at that face.

"Okay, sure." Sam said as he looked at the papers one more time.

"Don't get too excited, Sammy. You might pull something." Dean said sarcastically as he walked over and jerked the papers out of Sam's hands.

"Dean, look, I wanna believe this. I really do-" Sam started

"Then believe it." Dean yelled interrupting him. "I mean if we get this sucker, it's miller time." Dean yelled.

"Yeah, that's another thing. Dad rattles off an exorcism that can kill a demon. I mean, not just send it back to hell, but kill it?" Sam asked the questions that Mia had been dying to ask, but was afraid that it would upset Dean. Clearly she was right to assume that it would.

"Mia's checked it out. This is heavy-duty Dark Ages, fifteenth century."

"Yeah, I checked on it too, Dean. And so did Bobby." Sam said looking at his brother tiredly.

"Okay, and?" Dean asked.

"Look, it definitely is an exorcism, okay? There's just no evidence that it can kill a demon."

"No evidence it can't" Dean said.

"_That seems to be your argument a lot lately._" Mia thought to herself.

"Oh, Dean, come on." Sam sighed and shook his head.

"Hey, as far as I know, the only one of us that's actually been to hell is Dad, kay? You think maybe he picked up a couple of tricks there, like which exorcisms work." Dean said holding up the paper to his brother.

The two of them were arguing so intensly that she was sure they had forgotten she was even in the room. "Maybe it does, okay? Look I hope it does too, but we gotta be sure."

"Why aren't we sure?" Dean asked.

"Because we don't know what's going on around here, Dean." Sam said motioning to her and himself, letting her know that they were aware that she was there. "I mean, some guy blows his brains out, a little girl is scared out of her wits."

"Wow, man, a couple of civvies are freaked out by some ghosts." Dean yelled. "News flash, Sam, People are supposed to be freaked out by ghosts."

Sam just glanced over at Maria and sighed. "Did Dad tell you where to find the demon?" he asked Dean.

"I'm waiting on the call." Dean yelled aggravated as he held up his phone.

Sam scoffed and looked over at Maria again. "I told Lanie I'd stop by."

Dean watched Sam start to walk away. "Oh, good, yeah. No, you go hang out with jailbait. Just, uh, watch out for Chris Hansen." Sam turned back to roll his eyes at his brother. "Meanwhile, Mia and I'll be here, you know, getting ready to save my life." Sam just turned and headed for the door. "You are unbelievable you know that? I mean, for months we've been trying to break this demon deal. Now Dad's about to give us the freakin' address and you can't accept it? The man is dead and you're still butting heads with the guy!" Dean yelled at Sam, holding his arms out to his sides.

"That is not what this is about." Sam said turning back to Dean again.

"Then what is it?!"

"The fact is we got no hard proof here, Dean." Sam yelled back. Maria sat up and moved to rest her back against the head board. She pulled her knees to her chest as she watched the family dispute. "After everything, you're still just going on blind faith."

"Yeah, well, maybe. You know, maybe that's all I got, okay?!" Dean said before he let his head hang forward.

"Please, just please, don't go anywhere until I get back, okay, Dean? Please." Sam pleaded receiving only a blank stare from his brother. Sam headed to the door and grabbed the knob before he stopped and looked at Maria. "Do you want to come with me?"

Mia glanced at Dean noting the done look on his face then back at Sam. "Yeah, just… give me a second?" she asked as she dropped her knees from her chest and stood from the bed. Sam gave her a nod before he left.

Dean looked at her before he shook his head and walked over to the dining table. Mia quietly walked over and pulled out the chair to sit across from him. "So where do you stand on all of this?" Dean asked and she knew, as much as it might piss him off and possibly hurt him, she had to tell the truth.

"I think you both make good points. Blind faith is all you've got and it's what you're gonna work with, but Sam has to have hard proof." She said tucking her loose waves behind her ear before she took his hand in her's. "I'm sorry, I am, but I…" she sighed and looked at her shoes wishing that better words would come to her. "I agree with Sam. You need to hold off and play it safe. I was always told you go in smart or you don't go in at all." Dean pulled his hand from hers and stood from the table to turn his back on her. "Please, just stay here and don't do anything stupid." She said as she stood and left him alone.

Mia gave Sam a sad look as she slid into the passenger seat of the rental car that he had kept from the day before. "I told him that I'm on your side of this." she said with a sigh. "Maybe he'll be a little less mad when we get back and we'll be able to get through to him." She said as she stared out of the front window. Her thoughts instantly went to the night before when she had almost told Dean her secret. She placed her hand over her stomach without thinking about it.

"You okay?" Sam asked, noticing her small movement and the distant look on her face.

"Yeah, just got a lot on my mind I guess." She said with a small shake of her head.

"Dean was pretty mad at you huh?" Sam asked with a glance at her before he turned his eyes back to the road.

She shook her head and brushed her hair out of her face. "No. Well, yeah, he was, but I wasn't thinking about that." She said.

"Are you mad that you're mom hasn't called you?" he asked.

"No." she said still looking out of the front window.

"Then what were you thinking about? From the look on your face it's something pretty heavy." He was observant she'd give him that.

"It's something I can't talk to Dean about right now." She said without looking at him.

"You know, I can be a good listener too." He said and she looked at him to see a small smirk on his face.

"Dean needs to be the first to know." She said with a small smile and shake of her head. "Thanks for the offer though. I might have to take you up on it sometime."

It was quiet for a while as they drove down the busy neighborhood road. They had pulled in front of Lanie's house. Maria had place her hand on the lever to open the door when Sam's words hit her ears making her heart stop. "You're pregnant aren't you?"

She just stared out of the window as she tried to figure out how he knew. When she couldn't figure it out she turned to him with wide eyes. "How did you know?"

"I might be a guy, but I know the signs." He said with a sideways glance at her. "You threw up at the college the other day, and at the Water's house. A few days before that you threw up the pizza we had for dinner. On top of that you've been a little moody."

"I have not." She said defensivly.

"Before you threw up the pizza you snapped at me for taking the last piece." He said with raised brows.

"Oh, huh, I guess I have been a little moodier than usual." She said as she scratched her head.

"Your boobs have gotten bigger too." He said reminding her that, while he didn't go looking for tail like Dean, he was still a guy.

Maria quirked a brow at him and crossed her arms over her chest. "So you've been looking at my boobs, huh?" she asked.

Sam laughed and held his hands up in surrender. "Hey, not my fault you sleep in tank tops. How am I _not_ supposed to notice?" he asked.

"You know Dean would punch you if he heard you say that right?" she asked and he just waved her off. "How did you know that all of that meant I was pregnant anyways?" she asked out of curiosity.

"Back at Stanford one of Jess's friends got knocked up. So naturally Jess talked about all of that for days and how it looked like it all sucked and she couldn't wait to experience it." he admitted.

"Oh." Maria said. It was the first time she had heard him talk about Jess. "Well, she was right, it does suck. Especially when the father's gonna die in a few months."

Sam didn't get a chance reply because they heard a knock on the window and he turned to see Lanie looking in on them. Sam rolled the window down. "What are you doing just sitting out here like a creeper?" she asked with her arms crossed over her chest. Sam just laughed. "Who's she?" Lanie asked with a nod at Maria.

"Lanie, this is Maria." Sam said motioning to Maria. "Maria, Laine." He motioned to Lanie and Maria gave her a nod, a tight smile and a wave.

"She your girlfriend?" Lanie asked.

"He wishes." Mia laughed making Sam glare at her for a second before he turned back to Lanie.

##Insert line.##

"Did you tell your father any of this?" Sam asked after Lanie showed them where she saw her mother's ghost.

"And bother him at work?" she asked. "No. He wouldn't believe me. He'd just chuck me into therapy."

"So, what did your mother say if you don't mind my asking?" Maria asked.

"That she wanted to see me. So at first I thought I was supposed to go to the cemetery." Lanie answered.

"Did you?" Sam asked.

"Nothing happened. But then she started asking me to do other things.

"What sort of things?" Sam asked.

"Bad things." Lanie answered shakily.

"Lanie, it's very important that you tell us exactly what happened." Maria coaxed after Lanie turned away from them to hide the tears that were threatening to fall.

"Mom told me to go to Dad's medicine cabinet." She answered as she turned to them with bloodshot eyes and wet cheeks.

"And?" Sam asked.

"Take his sleeping pills. Take all of his sleeping pills." Lanie answered hysterically.

"She wanted you to kill yourself?" Sam asked just to make things clear.

Lanie covered her mouth to hold in her sobs as she nodded. "Why would my mom want me to do that?" she asked.

"I don't know." Maria and Sam said at the same time.

"I mean, just so I could come to her?" Lanie asked catching Maria's attention.

"Wait, what? What did you just say?" Maria asked as if a light bulb had gone off over her head.

"She wanted me to come to her." Lanie said.

"No, no, no. How did she say it exactly?" Sam asked sounding like he was on to something as well.

"Come to me. Like, a million times." Lanie answered with tears rolling down her face.

"Lanie, I hate to tell you this, but you haven't been talking to your mother." Maria said. Before she turned to Sam and pulled him outside the bedroom and shut the door behind her. "So I'm thinkin' crocotta. What about you?"

"Yep." Sam said before he knocked on the girls door and opened it when she said that they could. "Listen to me. Don't answer the phone. Don't use the computer. Don't do anything unless I say to, all right?" Sam asked as they walked down the hallway getting ready to go find the crocotta. But they stopped when they realized that Lanie wasn't following them. "Lanie." Sam said getting her attention.

"Where's Simon?" she asked, wanting to know where her little brother had gone to.

They searched every room in the house before they all ran out into the yard and saw Simon about to walk out into the street. Maria started to run after him, but Sam stopped her. "No, you stay." He yelled at her as he took off running and scooped Simon up just in time to keep him from getting hit by a car. After Sam delivered Simon to Lanie they warned her one more time to keep away from anything that could be used for communication, even if it was just a toy, and headed out. "What were you thinking back there?" Sam asked referring to her about to run out in front of a speeding truck to save a little boy.

"I wasn't." Maria answered not looking at him.

"Well, you need to start. You've got more than just yourself to think about now." He scolded and she finally looked at him.

"I know, Sam, I know. But I've only known for a day, give me a break." She said.

Sam just gave her a nod before he pulled out his phone and dialed Dean's number. "Dean, it's not Dad." He said and Maria tried to hear Dean's voice on the other end, but it was too muffled for her to understand. "A crocotta. It's some kind of scavenger. It mimics loved ones and whispers "come to me", then lures you into the dark and swallows your soul." He paused while listening to Dean. "Dean look, I'm sorry man. I, I know-" he stopped having been cut off by Dean. "Yeah." He said before he hung up.

"So, what did he have to say?" she asked.

"We think it's Stewie, at the phone company." Sam explained, while looking at the road.

"Yeah, it was pretty nasty down there. We heading straight there or are we gonna go get Dean?" she asked. Sam just shook his head.

"I'm dropping you off at the hotel and I'm going alone."

"What? Why?" she asked angrily.

"Because I'm not gonna put you in danger." He answered without looking at her.

"Sam I'm pregnant not disabled. I'm not letting you go this alone." She said turning in her seat to look at him.

"And I'm not giving you any other choice." Sam said as he pulled into the parking lot of their hotel. "Get out." He said looking at her with hard eyes.

"No." she argued.

He leaned over her and opened her door. "Get. Out."

"Fine." She said as she got out and watched him drive away."Dean?" She called as she walked into the room and flipped the light on, but he was nowhere to be seen. As she started looking around she realized that his bag was missing and his car wasn't outside. "Son of a bitch." She cursed under her breath as she started looking through the papers on the coffee table hoping to find something that would tell her where he had went. She was about to give up when her eyes landed on a notepad sitting on the dinette table in the kitchen. She could see indentions from where Dean had wrote something down and ripped the page off. So she grabbed the pencil that was sitting next to the pad and rubbed it over the indentions revealing an address.

Now that she knew where Dean was at, she needed to get to him quick. There was no time to rent a car, so she headed outside and looked around the dark parking lot until she found an older car with no alarm system. She broke the back driver's side window, unlocked the door and reached around from there to unlock the front one. Once behind the wheel she hot-wired the car and headed to the address.

When she got to the house that Dean was supposed to be at, it looked dark inside. But she knew from past experiences that dark didn't necessarily mean calm. As she got out of the car and walked up to the front door she heard a crash. The door was unlocked when she tried it and she ran inside to see and hear Dean trying to exorcise a man who stood in a demon trap. "Dean, what are you doing?" she asked, getting both of their attention.

The guy standing in the demon trap stepped out, walking closer to Dean. "Did you do this to my daughter too?" he asked.

"How the hell did you get out?" Dean asked.

"He's not a demon, Dean." Mia called over the man who was yelling at Dean.

"Wait, this is a mistake." Dean said trying to stop the man who was advancing on him.

Mia took a step back as they started fighting. She wanted to do something, wanted to pull the guy off of Dean, but Sam's words kept her from doing so. Finally Dean got his hands on his shotgun and hit the man in the face, knocking the man off of him. "Why did you kill her?" the crying man asked as Dean stood over him still holding the gun.

"I'm sorry. I didn't kill your daughter." Dean panted.

"Then what are you doing here?" he asked.

Mia stepped in and took the gun from Dean. "This is all a huge misunderstanding." She said taking Dean's hand. "I'm really sorry." She started pulling Dean out of the house and to the Impala. She wasn't worried about the hotwired car she left in front of the man's house. She just pushed Dean into the passenger seat and slid into the driver's. "Keys please." She said with her palm out to Dean. He sat them in her hand without hesitation. She was surprised that he was letting her drive his baby, but that was the last question she had on her mind at the time.

They drove in silence back to the hotel and once inside the room she pointed to the bed for Dean to sit. He did as directed without complaint. "How did you know where to find me?" he asked and she just grabbed the notepad that was still sitting on the table where she left it and held it up. "Smart." He commented.

She wetted a towel and walked over to press it to his head. "Since you were trying to exorcise that poor guy I'm guess that you didn't get Sam's call earlier?" she asked and Dean shook his head. "It wasn't your dad on the calling you, Dean. It was a crocotta." She said still dabbing the cut on his head with the wet towel.

"Like the soul eater crocotta?" he asked with a quirked brow.

"Yeah." She said as she tossed the towel aside and grabbed the first aid kit out of her bag. "I specifically asked you not to go anywhere, Dean." She said as she pulled a Band-Aid out of the kit and turned to him.

He pulled her into his side and looked up at her with wide green eyes. "I know, and I'm sorry, but-"

"But you believed you were talking to your dad and that you could save yourself." She interrupted and he nodded to her. "You don't have to explain, I get it." She said with a sad smile as she reached up and touched her fingertips to his cheek. She pulled away from him to put the Band-Aid on this cut.

She had just finished when they heard the door open and turned to see Sam walk in looking just as bad a Dean. "I see they improved your face." Dean said making Mia smirk.

Sam scoffed. "Right back at ya."

"So corcotta huh?" Dean asked, letting Sam know that Maria had filled him in.

"Yep." Sam said as he walked over and sat on his bed. Mia headed to the kitchen to rinse out the rag she had cleaned Dean up with.

"That would explain the flies." Dean said.

"Yeah, it would." Sam said. "Hey, um… look I'm sorry it wasn't Dad."

"Na, I gave ya'll a hell of a time on this one." Dean said and Sam made a sound that said it was no big deal. "No, you were right."

"Forget about it." Sam said.

"I can't." Dean replied and Mia turned from the sink to look at them as she rested her hips against the counter. "I wanted to believe so badly that there was a way out of this. I mean, I'm staring down the barrel at this thing. You know, hell. For real, forever. And I'm just…"

Sam glanced at her then looked down at his shoes. "Yeah."

Dean looked at her, then to his brother. "I'm scared, guys. I'm really scared."

"I know." Sam said quietly.

"I guess I was willing to believe anything. You know, last act of a desperate man." Dean laughed.

"There's nothing wrong with having hope, Dean." Sam said.

Dean shook his head. "No. Hope doesn't get you jack squat. I can't expect Dad to show up with some miracle at the last minute. I can't expect anybody to, you know? And the only person that can get me out of this thing is me." Dean said.

Mia had been tapping the toe of her shoe into the tile floor, trying to hold back her emotions.

"And me." Sam said, bring a smile to her face with his lame reply.

Dean just looked at him. "And me?"

"What?" Sam asked.

"Deep revelation, having a real moment here, that's what you come back with? And me?" Dean asked.

"Do you want a poem?" Sam asked sarcastically.

"Moment's gone." Dean said as he clicked on the tv. "Unbelievable." She heard him say under his breath as he pulled three beers out of the ice chest and offered one to Sam without looking at him.

After Sam took his Dean offered her one with a small smile. "Oh, uh, I can't. Thanks though." She said before realizing exactly what had come out of her mouth.

"Have you told him?" Sam asked making Mia glare at him and shake her head, sparking Dean's curiosity.

"Told me what?" Dean asked lowering his beer from his lips with a questioning look. Mia took in a deep breath and held it in a second, avoiding making eye contact with Dean. "What are you talking about Sam?" he asked before he looked back at Mia. "Mia, what's he talking about and why are you acting squirrely?" Dean asked as he stood from the bed and moved to stand in front of her.

She blew the breath out before she made herself look into his eyes. "I was planning on telling you later, after you'd gotten a little more rest, but since Sam brought it up…" she sighed and gave Sam a dirty look over Dean's shoulder. "I'm…" she started but couldn't make herself say the word.

"You're what, Mia, other than scaring me?" Dean said looking into her watering eyes.

"I'm pregnant, Dean." She rasped then watched as his mouth fell open and his eyes began to water.

He turned from her and placed his hand over his mouth. He was quiet for a minute before he turned back to her. "You told him first?" he asked her with a point at Sam.

"No, he figured it out." She said with a shrug of her shoulders.

"How long have you known?" he asked, blank faced.

"Since yesterday. I went to the doctor instead of interviewing people. I'm three weeks along, give or take a few days." She said shakily.

Dean just grabbed her hand and pulled her into a hug.

**A/N:** I'm so sorry about the wait. My computer screen busted on me so I couldn't see to write. It took a bit to save up the money to get it fixed. Plus my husband talked me into playing pathfinder with him and his friends so I've been busy with that every other weekend. I've also gotten sucked into the little world of the sims 3 and all the mods that can be installed in it and I got a little lost in there lol. But I'm back now and eager to get on with this story. Like always reviews and follows are highly appreciated.


	22. Chapter 22

**Disclaimer:** See Ch.1

**Sleeping With The Ally**

**Chapter 22: **Time Is On My Side.

"So this is really happening?" Dean asked once Sam left the room to give them some time alone. He was staring at the wall behind her head with his hands on his hips.

"Yyyep." She said popping the p at the end of the word as she stared down at the floor.

"This isn't some strange joke?" he asked as he looked from the wall to her.

"No, I wouldn't joke about something like this, Dean." She answered.

"Are you sure? I know how you like to jack with people." He said looking at her through squinted eyes.

"No, Dean." She said getting aggravated with him as she walked over to her purse and pulled out the sonogram. "Here," she held it between her pointer and middle finder as she extended the paper to him, "see for yourself." She watched as he unfolded it. He backed up to the bed and sat down, never taking his eyes off of the picture.

"So… I'm gonna be a dad…again?" he asked as he looked up from the paper to her with a dumbstruck look on his face. She just nodded at him. "And you're gonna be a mom." He sounded like he was in the same shock that she was in when she first found out. "And I'm gonna die in six weeks." He said as he looked up at her with wide eyes. Maria just hugged herself tighter and nodded. She had been through all of this in her head a thousand times over. "Mia, I'm sorry." He said shakily as he crossed the space between them and grabbed her shoulders. I'm so sorry I did this to you." he stared down at her with wide, watery eyes.

"What? _Did _this to me? Dean, you didn't _do_ anything to me. I'm the one that forgot to get my birth control refilled." She argued. "If this is anyone's fault it's mine."

"Don't do that. Don't blame yourself." He said dropping his hands from her shoulders to hang at his sides.

"Well, then you don't blame yourself." She said, her voice getting louder. "It's neither of our faults. It's just…life." She said fighting her emotions.

"Okay, so what are we gonna do?" he asked. It was the first time she had seen him not be the one to come up with a plan, which was kind of a letdown because she didn't have the slightest clue of what they were going to do.

"What we always do with the crap life throws at us…Deal with it." she said with a shrug of her shoulders, not having a real answer.

"Okay, well…" he said as he started pacing with his hands on his hips. "You can't hunt anymore. It's too dangerous. You can…go stay with Bobby." He suggested and she automatically started shaking her head.

"No." she said and he stared to open his mouth to argue with her and she interrupted him. "No, Dean, I'm not leaving you." she almost yelled as her brows were pulled into a deep v.

"Well you can't stay with me either." He yelled back making her blink rapidly up at him.

"You only have six weeks to live, you said it yourself, and I don't intend on wasting those weeks by sitting on my ass, alone, at Bobby's." she said and he knew she was being completely serious when she started talking animatedly with her hands. "As long as you are alive I'm gonna be _glued_ to your side." She spoke through gritted teeth as she pointed in his face. "This baby won't keep me from you."

"Fine." He said with a shake of his head as he turned and walked a few paces away from her. "I obviously can't change your mind on staying somewhere safe." He said as he turned back to her. "But I'm telling you, you can't hunt. You can't go chasing after monsters anymore, it's too dangerous. It'll put our baby at risk." He said as he pointed at her belly.

"Fine." She said as she crossed her arms over her chest and walked up to him, touching her crossed arms to his chest.

"Fine." He agreed with a nod down at her. "So we have an agreement?" he asked, just to make sure.

"Yeah. I won't hunt. I'll stay in the background, at the hotel or wherever we decide to crash." She said as she uncrossed her arms and placed her hands on his warm sides. "I'll even draw a salt circle around the bed and stay on that the whole time you're gone if that will make you happy." She said with a small smile trying to break the super tense moment between them.

"You know it would." He said a small smirk breaking through his hardened face. He looked into her eyes as he tucked her hair behind her ear with one hand and put the other on the small of her back to pull her into him. The light tender kiss he place on her lips silently told her that everything was going to be okay. He rested his forehead on hers before he pulled back and place his hand on her stomach. "So a baby, huh?" he asked with a nervous smile.

"Yep." She sighed as she turned and grabbed a bottle of water out of the fridge.

"Are you… Happy?" he asked reluctantly. "I mean I know you like kids and you eventually wanted to be a mother." He said as he sat down on their bed and picked up his beer.

"Am I happy that I'm going to be a widowed mother if we can't save you?" she asked turning back from the fridge to look at him. "No, but I am happy that I'm gonna still have a small piece of you with me." She walked over to the bed, sat down in the middle of it to cross her legs and face Dean.

He brought his legs up and the bed and turned to face her. "And what about if I do make it out of all this alive?" he asked and she shrugged.

"I don't know." She said in thought. "Do you…" she started, but stopped herself.

"Do I what?" he asked as he tried to catch her eyes that were staring at the yellow and white bedspread.

"Do you want to be a part of this baby's life?" she asked breathily, not wanting to ask, but needing to.

"What? Why would you even ask that?" he sounded like he was about to get mad again.

"I don't know…I guess… I just need to know that I won't be another Lisa." She hated the way she worded the statement, but she didn't know how else to explain her question.

"Mia, Baby," he said as he moved closer to her and grabbed her face, trying to make her look at him, but she still stared down. "Baby look at me." she hesitantly looked into his eyes. "Lisa doesn't want me to be a part of Ben's life. If she did, she wouldn't have lied to me." She tried to blink back her tears, but one slipped. "I guess I screwed that up, I don't know. But this, us, the kid that we're bringing into the world?" he said as he placed his hand on her stomach again. "I can do it right this time." He paused, giving her the chance to say something, but she just stared at his big, wet green eyes. "So hell yeah I wanna be a part of this kid's life."

It felt like his words lifted a thousand pounds off of her shoulder and she sighed as she threw her arms around his neck, squeezing him tight. He grunted from the force of the too tight hug and she started laughing as she let him go. "Sorry, sorry." She apologized and he just laughed at her. "Okay let's just get through the next six weeks, then we'll figure out what to do from there." she said before he smiled and wrapped his arms around her pulling her down sideways onto the bed.

-Three Weeks Later &amp; Six Weeks Pregnant-

"Ahhh!" the dark complected male demon who was tied to a chair yelled after Dean threw holy water in his face.

"You ready to talk?!" Dean yelled at the demon.

"I don't know. I don't know anything!" The demon answered loudly.

"Oh, you hear that Sam, he doesn't know anything." Dean asked his brother with a smirk.

"Yeah, I heard." Sam said not taking his eyes off of the demon.

"I'm telling the truth." The demon panted.

"Oh, you are. My god, then I owe you and apology. Allow me to make it up to you." Dean said as Mia watched him step up and pore holy water down his throat. The demon gargled out a scream and tried to sling the water off of himself. "I'm gonna ask you one last time, who holds my contract?!" Dean yelled.

The demon's eyes were jet black as he looked back up at Dean. "Your mother. Yeah, she showed it to me right before I bent her over." He said as his eyes faded back to normal.

Dean slammed his hands down onto the arms of the chair as he got in the demon's face. "I want a name or-"

"Or what?" the Demon asked getting back in his face. "You gonna squirt your holy water in both ends? Please, brother, that's like a flea bite compared to what's coming to me if I tell you jack." Dean stood back up and backed off. "Do what you want, the only thing I'm scared of is the demon who holds your ticket."

Dean stared hard at the demon before he looked at Sam who started the exorcism. But he stopped when Mia walked up from where she had been leaning against the door frame and touched his shoulder. "Guys, let me." she said with begging eyes as she looked back and forth between the two brothers. They hadn't let her try to read demon's lately. A week ago they had caught a demon and were interrogating it just like they were this guy, but when Maria tried to read the demons mind her nose started bleeding and she got a bad headache. If she didn't know any better she would think she was losing her abilities.

"No." Dean said giving her a hard look.

"What are you gonna do? Read my mind?" the demon asked tauntingly. "Give it a try, you won't get anything." Ignoring Dean telling her not to and Sam shaking his head, she launched herself into the demons head. She heard thoughts, but nothing that would tell her who held Dean's contract. She was pulled out when she heard the demon laughing and blood slid over her lips and down her chin to drip onto her chest. "I told you, you wouldn't find anything." The demon laughed. Sam shut him up when he started the exorcism back up.

The demon started grunting, holding back the pain. "How's that feel? That feel good?!" Dean asked, circling the demon. Sam stopped talking.

"Go ahead. Send me back to hell. 'Cause when you get there I'll be waiting for you. With a few pals who are dying for a nice little meet and greet with Dean Winchester." The demon said before he started laughing. The three of them just stared at him.

"Should I?" Sam asked.

"Send him someplace he can't hurt anyone else." Dean said giving his permission.

When Sam started the exorcism back up Mia walked out and went to the bathroom to care for her bloody nose. When she was done she found Sam and Dean lugging the body to the back of the cabin that they were squatting in for the time being. So she and Dean dug a grave while Sam took care of something else.

She swiped at a bug that buzzed near her ear as they watched the body burn in the hole that they had dug. "You okay?" Dean asked her with a sideways glance.

"Yeah, I'm fine." She answered as she absentmindedly tucked her hair behind her ear.

"You know, you really need to stop that." He said walking over to wrap his arm around her waist and pull her into him. "You can't read demon's minds anymore."

"I know I just… I don't understand why." She said as she rested her forearms on his shoulders.

"Maybe it has to do with the pregnancy. You know, if it messes with your hormones it could mess with whatever it is that lets you get into people's heads." He said trying to reason with her.

"Not people's head, just demons. Remember you let me read your mind and it worked just fine." She pointed out.

"Either way, demon or human, I don't want you reading minds. It could be hurting the baby." He said as he moved his hand to rest on her tiny bump that was invisible to the naked eye.

"I know. I won't do it anymore. I promise." she said with a sigh.

He kissed her cheek and said "Thank you." before he let her go and they started covering up the still smoldering ashes.

* * *

"Okay thanks. Yeah, I'll tell the lieutenant." They heard Sam say as they walked into the cabin. "Burry the body?" he asked when he saw them walk into the living room.

"Yeah, poor schmuck. It's like these demons ride them hard just to kicks." Dean said as he walked over to the end table and grabbed a beer. Mia headed straight for the old, but comfortably wore out couch and plopped down. "What was the phone call about?" he asked Sam as he sat down next to her. Mia moved around to hang her feet off of the end of the couch and rest her head in Dean's lap.

"Remember that thing from the paper the other day?" Sam asked as he tucked the phone into his pocket.

"Stripper suffocates dude with thighs?" Dean asked, receiving a playful slap from Mia. He smiled down at her before returning his attention to his brother.

"The other thing." Sam prompted.

"I think he's talking about the guy that walked into the ER and spilled his guts onto the floor." Mia said giving Sam a questioning look.

Dean started messaging her head with the hand that wasn't holding his beer and Mia closed her eyes enjoying the relaxing feeling. "Yeah, I just found out something pretty damn interesting." She heard Sam say.

"What?" Dean asked.

"The dead body was covered in bloody fingerprints, but not the victims." Sam explained and Maria wondered where he was going with this.

"Great, my man Dave Caruso'll be stoked to hear it." Dean said and Mia just shook her head.

"Those fingerprints match a guy who died in 1981." Sam explained.

"Really?" Dean asked, but he didn't stop massaging so she couldn't make herself open her eyes to look at them. "So what are we talking, walking dead? Walking, killing dead?" Dean asked.

"Maybe?" Sam said.

"Zombies do like the other, other white meat." Dean said and Mia heard him take a swig of his beer before he sat it on the end table next to the couch and tapped her letting her know he wanted her to sit up. So she did and he leaned forward to rest his elbows on his knees. "Speakin' of, what do you care about zombies?" he asked and Mia looked to Sam, also wanting to know the answer to the question.

"What do you mean?" Sam asked.

"Well, you've been on soul-saving detail for months now… We're three weeks out and all of a sudden, you're interested in some hot zombie action?" Dean asked.

"Hey man, you're the one who's been all gung ho to hunt. I just thought I'd be doing you a favor." Sam said defensively.

"Hey, no, no, no. I didn't say I didn't want to do it, okay? Obviously, I wanna hunt some zombies." Dean said as he grabbed his beer and stood up.

"Okay, fine. Whatever." Sam said and Dean headed to the bedroom to get packed up.

* * *

Yup, the rest of the body was intact. The liver was the only organ missing." The coroner said where they stood in the morgue of the hospital.

"Now where the liver was ripped out, did you happen to notice any teeth marks?" Dean asked.

The coroner gave the three of them a funny look. "Can I see your badges?" he asked skeptically.

"Of course, sure." Sam said and they all three showed him their badges.

"Fine, so you're cops _and_ morons." The coroner said looking at them like they were stupid.

"Excuse me? No, no, we're very smart." Dean said before the coroner started walking away. Dean rolled his eyes.

"The liver was not ripped out." The coroner explained as he pulled the body out of the vault. "It was removed surgically." He pulled back the sheet and showed them the cut. "By someone who knew their way around a scalpel." The three of them just looked at the body. "Didn't you read my report?"

"Of course we did. Oh, it was, uh, riveting. It's a real page-turner. Just delightful." Dean said.

The coroner just looked at him blankly. "You done?" he asked.

"Yes, sir. That's all we need thanks." Mia spoke up.

The grumpy coroner looked at her. "You said you were a trainee?" he asked and she nodded. "Find yourself new partners." He advised before he looked at the boys. "Now please go away."

"Okay." "Sure" "Yes, sir." The three of them said in unison as they left the man behind.

Mia noticed a smile on Sam's face as they entered the hallway. "_Something's up with him. He's too happy about something._" She thought to herself.

"What?" Dean asked, noticing Sam's smirk as well.

"Nothing." Sam said receiving an odd look from her. "So that kinda punches a hole in our zombie theory, huh, that scalpel thing?"

"A zombie with skills? Dr. Quinn, medicine zombie." Dean said with a laugh.

"Maybe we're on the wrong track, Dean, looking for hacked-up corpses." Sam suggested.

"Then what should we be looking for, Smart Guy?" Mia asked still wondering what was up with him.

"Survivors. This isn't zombie lunch. This is organ theft." Sam answered.

"Okay, then let's go find us some survivors." Dean said with a smirk.

* * *

"I told the cops all of this yesterday. I don't wanna talk about it anymore." The dark headed pail skinned guy laying in a hospital bed said aggravated.

"It's just a couple of questions, sir." Sam said holding a notepad in his hand.

"Hey, man, I just got my kidney stolen…I'm tired." The man on the table said with a bit of an attitude.

"We'll be out of here quick. I mean, don't you wanna get the guy?" Dean asked.

"Will it get me back my kidney?" the guy asked with an attitude that was starting to get on Mia's nerves.

"Sir, what's the last thing you remember?" Sam asked.

"Feeding my meter." The guy answered snippily. "I'm jumped from behind and then I wake up strapped to a table. And then the worst pain you could possibly imagine, only worse." Mia raised her brows at the guy as she scratched her head. "And then I black out again, thank God. And then I wake up screaming in some no-tell motel in a bathtub full of ice." The guy had an attitude the whole time he was telling them what he remembered. Mia decided to keep her mouth shut to keep some smart-ass comment from coming out.

"Do you remember anything about the surgery? You know, what the guy looked like, any details about the room." Dean asked prying for information.

"Now, let me think about that." The guy pretended to be thinking. "Yeah, one thing is coming back to me. You know what I remember? Getting my kidney cut out of my body." The guy practically yelled.

"You know what smart-ass-" Maria started as she stepped up and pointed her finger in his face, but Dean wrapped his hand around her mouth, shutting her up.

"Okay, I think we are gonna go now." Dean said as he kept his hand on Mia's mouth as they headed to the door. When they got into the hallway he removed his hand and stared laughing. "Those hormones of yours are turning you into quite the little pistol."

She looked across her shoulder at the two brothers to find them both smiling at her. "Yeah…well, he was being an asshat."

* * *

"So I've got a theory." Sam said where he we sitting at the dining table in their hotel room with Maria and Dean.

"Yeah?" Dean asked as he spun his hamburger in his hands before taking about out of it and Mia picked at her french-fries.

"Yeah I talked to Mr. Giggles doctor. It turns out his incisions were sewn up with silk." Sam said.

"That's weird." Dean replied with a mouth full of food. Mia looked at him and rolled her eyes with a smirk before picking up a fry and biting the end off of it.

"Yeah, nowadays it is, but silk used to be the suture of choice back in the early 19th century." Sam explained as he turned the computer around for them to look at it. Dean wiped his hand on his pants before he started scrolling through the information on the screen. "It was problematic. Patients would get massive infections. The death rate was insane."

"Fun." Maria commented as she tossed the fry she had taken a bite off of back into the pile.

"Right, so doctors had to do whatever they could to keep infections from spreading. One way was maggots." Sam explained.

"Dude, I'm eating." Dean said before he glanced over at Mia and saw the frown on her face. "And she's been queasy all day." She thought she had been hiding the fact that she felt bad, but apparently she hadn't done a good job.

"It actually kind of worked because maggots eat bad tissue and leave good tissue. And get this, when they found our guy, his body cavity was stuffed full of maggots." Sam rambled on as if Dean hadn't said anything.

"Dude, we're eating." He said giving Mia an apologetic look before he turned his attention back to Sam. "Alright, let me get this straight." He sat his burger down and took a sip of his drink. "So people are getting ganked?"

"Yeah." Sam answered.

"A little antiques road show surgery, some, uh, some organ theft. Why is this all sounding familiar?" he asked Sam.

"Because you heard it before. When you were a kid." Sam answered getting a questioning look from both Dean and Maria. "From Dad." Sam opened up their fathers hunting journal and pressed the lid of the laptop down with it as he sat it down in front of Dean and Maria. "Doc. Benton. Real-life doctor, lived in New Hampshire, Brilliant. And obsessed with alchemy, especially how to live forever. So in 1816, Doc abandons his practice and-"

"Right, yeah, nobody hears from him for like, 20 years then all of a sudden people start showing up dead." Dean said as he picked up the book off of the computer. Mia pushed her fries away to give her full attention to the case.

"Dead or, missing an organ, or a hand or some other kind of part." Sam added.

"'Cause whatever he was doing was working. He just kept ticking. Parts would wear out, he'd replace them. But I thought Dad hunted him down and took his heart out." Dean said.

"Yeah, I guess the doc must've plugged in a new one." Sam said.

Dean let his dad's journal fall back on top of the laptop. "All right, where's he doing the deed?" he asked as he picked his burger back up and took a bite.

"According to this, Benton's picky about where he sets up his lab. He likes dense forest with access to a river or stream or some kind of fresh water." Sam said as he picked up the book and read off his dad's observations.

"Why?" Maria asked as she picked up a fry, knowing she needed to eat, even if she didn't feel like it.

"Because that's where he likes to dump the bile, and intestines, and…" he started laughing when Dean started gagging. "fecal matter." Dean stopped gagging and looked down at his burger, Mia tossed her fry back into the pile and pushed the take out box away, yet again. "Lost your appetite yet?" he asked.

Dean looked down at his burger then at Sam then back to his burger. "Oh, baby, I can't stay mad at you." he said to the burger before he took a bite. He looked at Mia as he chewed to see her staring at him with v shaped brows. He swallowed before he started talking to her. "Baby, I'm sorry you don't feel good." He said as he reached out and rubbed her shoulder. She just waved him off and pulled her feet up into the chair to hug her knees to her chest. "Are you hungry for anything specific? I can run out and grab it for you." he said offered.

"No, Dean, thank you. I think I'm gonna go take a bath and see if I feel better after." She said as she got up and grabbed her bathroom bag. After filling the tub with water and the entire contents of the travel sized bottle of coconut scented bubble bath she stepped in and sank down until the bubbles touched the tip of her nose. She sighed and closed her eyes as the warm water loosened her tight muscles and relaxed her whole body. Now that she was alone, she let her mind wander and the next thing she knew she woke up in a tub of cold water and Dean knocking on the door.

"Mia, Baby, you still alive in there?" he asked and she sat up and wiped her wet hand across her face, leaving a trail of tiny bubbles behind. He cracked the door open and peeked in as she was wrapping a fluffy white hotel towel around herself. "You okay?" he asked as he stepped in and closed the door behind him.

"Yeah…" She said sheepishly as she dried off, "I kinda fell asleep, sorry." She wiped off her face and dropped the towel to the floor.

"Don't apologize. You feel any better?" he asked trying to keep his eyes on her face and off the rest of her naked body.

"Yeah, but now I'm cold." She said shooting a glare at the water as if it could have stayed warm, and then pulled on her underclothes.

He stepped closer to her and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her into him. "I think I can do something about that." He said with a smirk. She smiled before he pressed his lips to hers. Her hands rested on his chest and she pushed him until his back hit the door, making a thump.

"Dean?" they heard Sam say from the bedroom. "Everything okay?"

Mia sighed and rested her head on Dean's chest. Somehow she had forgotten that they were sharing a room with Sam. "Yeah, Sam, everything's awesome." Dean said, his aggravation tainting his voice as he answered his brother through the door.

"We really need some alone time." Mia said as she looked up at Dean's bright green orbs.

"Yeah." Dean said as she pulled away to finish getting dressed. "So what do you think the baby's gonna be?" he asked, changing to subject.

"You mean other than human?" she asked sarcastically as she pulled a light pink, racerback tank top over her head. Normally she would wear a spaghetti strap tank top, but she felt like covering more since Sam said what he did about her boobs. Dean just gave her a look that said he was serious. "I don't know, a boy maybe?" she said making it sound like a question. "Why, what do you want it to be?" she asked as she pulled on a pair of pink and black plaid pajama pants.

"I want a girl and I want her to look exactly like her mom." He stated as he opened the bathroom door to let in warm air from the bedroom.

She smiled at him, loving the new side of him that she was getting to see, she just wished that she knew he would be there for the birth. She was surprised that he wanted a girl. She thought that he would want a carbon copy of himself. "As long as it has it's daddy's eyes I'll be happy with either." She said as she squeezed water out of her hair then tossed the towel in the sink and left the bathroom. When she got into the bedroom fully she saw a spread of food on the dining table where papers and research had been before.

"I did some research while you were taking a bath. " Dean explained as he walked over to the table. "According to what I found when women get knocked up they crave foods that they didn't really care for before." He picked up a grapefruit and tossed it to her. She caught it with a dumbstruck look on her face. "I've never seen you eat fruit unless it was in ice cream or cake so I bought one of everything." He pointed to the plastic bags of apples, bananas, oranges, peaches and even a bag of grapes. "I got you onion rings because I know you hate onions and fried mushrooms because you don't like mushrooms. I know that's not really healthy food, but hey foods food at this point." He said while Sam sat on his bed watching the scene. "And I got-" he started.

But Mia cut him off when she crossed the room and wrapped her arms around him. "Thank you." she whispered into his neck. He hugged her back before she pulled away and brought the grapefruit to the kitchen where she cut it in half, got a spoon and scooped some out. "Oh my god this tastes awesome." She said. After that she sat it down next to the other half and walked over to the table and grabbed the rest of the fruit.

After a little preparation she sat down at the table with a mixing bowl that contained every peeled, chopped, de-pitted and de-stemmed fruit that Dean had bought. "Looks like someone got their appetite back." Sam observed with a smile as he walked up and plucked a green grape out of her bowl.

"Yeah, thanks to a certain somebody." Mia said before she leaned over to where Dean was sitting next to her at the table and pecked him on the lips. Dean smiled at her as he watched her stab an orange slice with her fork and popped it into her mouth.

* * *

"So these are all old hunting cabins. They've been abandoned for years." Sam said as he plopped an aerial view map of the nearby forests with hunting cabins circled in red onto the bed where Dean and Maria sat.

"Then what the hell we waiting for?" Dean asked right before his phone started ringing. He stood from where he was kneeling next to the bed to answer the phone. "Bobby?" he asked and Mia could hear his voice on the other end, but couldn't make out what he was saying. "Is that like a Cleveland steamer?" Dean asked with a laugh. Mia rolled her eyes at him and stood from the bed. She rolled her eyes when the urge to pee hit her for the millionth time, so she headed to the restroom instead of hearing what Bobby had to say like she wanted to. "Come on get your stuff, clocks ticking." She heard Dean say when she walked out of the bathroom.

"Look, I think we should stay here and finish the case." Sam argued.

"You insane?" Dean asked him.

Mia was about to ask what was going on when Sam said "Dean, there's no way she still has the Colt. That was months ago. She probably sold it the second she got it." So Maria instantly knew that they were talking about Bela.

"Well, then I'll kill her, Win win." Dean said and Sam started to argue. "Sam, we're goin'." he said cutting his brother off.

"No." Sam argued.

"Why the hell not?" Dean asked.

"Yeah, Sam, if on the off chance that bitch still has the Colt we can get it back and kill the demon that holds Dean's contract. Why shouldn't we go?" Maria asked.

"Because, this here, now. This is what's gonna save Dean." Sam said making Mia look at him like he was stupid.

Dean kept packing his bag. "What? Chasing some Frankenstein?" Dean asked his brother.

"Chasing immortality." Sam said and Dean and Mia just blinked at him. "Look, Benton can't die. We find out how he did it, we can do it to you." Sam said excitedly with a smile, the same smile he had on his face at the hospital. And now that Maria thought about it he had the same smile on his face when Dean agreed to work the case. He knew what was killing people all along.

"What are you talkin' about?" Dean asked with a creased brow.

"You have to die before you go to hell, right? So if you can never die-" Sam said with his hands outstretched to his sides.

"Wait, wait, wait. Wait a second." Dean said as he stopped packing and started walking closer to his brother. "Did you know that this was Doc Benton from the jump?" he asked.

"No." Sam said and it was clear to them all that he was lying. Mia and Dean just gave him questioning looks that said they didn't believe him. "Look, I was hoping-"

"So the whole zombie thing, you was lying to me?" Dean asked with a shake of his head.

"I didn't wanna say anything until I was sure, Dean. All I'm trying to do if find an answer here and keep a father with his family." Sam said.

"No, what you're trying to do is chase Slicey McHackey here. And to kill him? No, you wanna buy him a freakin' beer. You wanna study him." Dean said angrily.

"I was just trying to help." Sam said looking a little sad.

"You're not helping. You forget that if I Welch on this deal, you die." Dean said talking with his hands. "Guess what, living forever is welching."

"Fine then whatever the magic pill is, I'll take it too." Sam said getting angry too.

"Oh, what is this, Sid and Nancy?" Dean asked with a disgusted look at his brother. "No, it's just like Bobby's been saying. We kill the demon that holds the contract and this whole damn thing wipes clean. That's our best shot." Dean said as he started packing again.

While they continued to argue Maria was thinking. She was kidding herself to think that Bela still had the colt. There was no way that it was going to help anything to go hunt Bela down and pull the fact that she sold the gun out of her. But this doctor guy could have the answer and Sam was right. If it could keep Dean alive it could keep Sam alive too. It probably wasn't perfect, but if it would keep her baby's father with them then she would do whatever it would take to find this doctor and get the information from him. "I'm staying here." She heard Sam say when she pulled herself from her thoughts.

"No, you're not. 'Cause I'm not gonna let you wander in the woods alone to track some organ-stealing freak."

"You're not gonna let me?" Sam asked with a laugh.

"No, I'm not gonna let you." Dean argued.

"How are you gonna stop me?" Sam asked with is hands on his hips. Dean just blinked at him. "Look, Man, we're trying to do the same thing here."

Dean's lip twitched as he stared at his brother. "I know." He walked over and grabbed his packed bag. "But I'm going. So if you want to stay, stay." Dean threw his bag over his shoulder and walked over to Mia. "You don't have a bag packed." He observed.

She crossed her arms over her chest, anticipating his reaction. "That's because I'm going with Sam."

He just tilted his head to the side as he looked at her and scoffed. "No." She just cocked a brow and hugged her arms tighter to her chest, letting him know she wasn't going to change her mind. "No, Mia, you're gonna get hurt looking for that freak."

"I'm pregnant, Dean, I don't have cancer. I can still take care of myself." She said with her chin held high, although all she felt like doing at the moment was curling herself into a ball in the corner to cry.

"The last time you said that you wound up being half drained of blood." He said causing her to roll her eyes at him. "Fine, do what you want. Just do me a favor and don't get yourself killed." He said as he grabbed the doorknob and left, slamming the door behind him.

With him gone she turned her back on Sam and covered her face with her hands. Sam sighed and walked over to place a hand on her shoulder. "I hate disappointing him." She said as she turned to face Sam who grabbed a tissue out of the box on the nightstand and helped her wipe her tears away.

"I know." He sighed as she took the tissue and wiped her face dry. "But it's for the best."

She took a deep breath and held it a few seconds before she let it out. "Alright, let's get to work." She said as she walked over and looked at the map lying on the bed.

* * *

"You sure you wanna do this?" Sam asked as they pulled to a stop where the road ended. "I mean, Dean was right. You could get hurt." He held his hand out for the map that she has as he looked at her with worried eyes.

"I'm fine, Sam." She answered as she handed his the map. Where do you want to start?" she asked as she leaned across the center console of the rental car to look at the map.

"We'll start over here and work our way to this one. It's closest to the water." Sam said as he pointed at a group of cabins that were circled in red.

They searched four cabins that were all empty before they got to the last one that was closest to the water. As they opened the door of the fifth and looked around it looked just like all the others. Dark, dusty and old, but they looked around anyways hoping to find a clue. Mia was pulling stuff out of a dresser when Sam shined his flashlight on her getting her attention. He held up a book and she walked over to look at the symbol on the front. It was the same symbol that was in John's journal. A triangle circled by two dragons. Sam tucked it into his jacket pocket.

Mia looked around the room and noticed a cellar door in the floor. She looked at him and jerked her head toward it before she headed over to it and started to pull it open. But Sam put his hand on hers stopping her. He opened it and went down first. When they got down they noticed a man laying on a gurney with his chest cut open. She knew he was dead so she walked over and started looking at the papers on the wall, but her attention was pulled away from the papers when Sam tapped her arm and pointed to where a woman laid on another gurney. They walked quietly over to her and saw a bunch of maggots on her arm. Sam was reaching out to see if the woman still had a pulse when she suddenly sucked in a deep breath and tried to sit up on the bed. But she couldn't because she was completely held down by thick leather straps that were across her wrists, ankles and forehead.

Maria yelped and stumbled back a step, but Sam stayed by the woman and shushed her. "It's okay, I'm here to help you. I'm here to help you, I'm gonna help you." he repeated to her as he reached over and grabbed a towel to wrap around her maggot covered arm. The woman tried to stay quiet, but couldn't help making small cry's of pain. "Sorry. I'm sorry. Okay. Shh." He said.

They all looked up when they heard the front door of the cabin open. Mia jumped into action and started untying the restraints as Sam held his hand over the woman's mouth in an attempt to keep her quiet. As soon as all the restraints were off Sam scooped her up into his arms and motioned to the window. Mia busted the glass and climbed out before she turned back and helped the woman out of the window. She rested all of her weight on Mia as Sam slipped out the window. As soon as he was out he scooped her back up and they took off running.

It was a long run to the car, but when they got there Sam unlocked it and Mia jumped into the backseat leaving the door open for Sam to put the woman in next to her. She grabbed her arm and panted in pain as she arched her back and slid to lean on Maria. Sam climbed into the front seat. "It's gonna be okay. We'll get you to a hospital." Maria said as she pushed the woman off of her gently until she was back in the upright position that Sam has sat her in. Sam was cranking the car when the glass of his door was busted in. The ugly doctor started banging Sam's head into the steering wheel, but he managed to put it into reverse and stepped on the gas. The doctor was flung onto the ground in front of the car. He didn't have enough time to move before Sam ran over him.

They dropped the woman off at the hospital before they went back to the hotel. It was nightfall when Sam's phone started ringing. "Dean." He said getting Maria's attention. "Did you get the Colt?" he asked and Mia moved from her bed to sit next to Sam letting him know she wanted to hear. He put the phone on speaker phone.

"What do you think?" Dean asked.

"So Bela's dead?" Mia asked sounding a little more hopeful than she meant to, receiving a look from Sam.

"No, no. She deserves to die a dozen times over, but I couldn't do it." Dean said.

"Dean-" Sam started, but didn't finish.

"I'm really screwed, Sammy." Dean said and Mia could hear how scared he was in his voice. She looked down and creased her brow's trying to control her over emotional self. "Ya'll were right. Bela was a goose chase. The Colt's gone. And this time I'm really screwed."

No you're not, Dean." Mia said as Sam handed her the phone and got up off of the bed.

"We found Benton's cabin." Sam said loudly enough for Dean to hear him.

"Are you two okay, was he there?" he asked sounding a little frantic.

"Yeah." Sam answered only the last question.

"Mia you okay? The baby?" he asked and Mia felt like both smiling and rolling her eyes.

"Yeah, Dean, We're both fine." She assured him.

"Did ya'll kill Benton?" he asked.

"No." Both Sam and Maria answered.

"What do you mean, no?" he asked, mad.

"Dean, please just listen for a second." Sam said and Maria walked over to the desk were Sam was sitting and sat the phone down so he wouldn't have to yell to Dean. "We found his lab book and it has the formula."

"What, the live-forever formula?" Dean asked.

"Yeah." Sam answered.

"Great. Let me guess, I gotta drink blood out of a baby's skull?" he asked. Mia placed her hand over her belly at his comment. "Shit, am I still on speaker phone?" he asked and Mia told him he was. "That was insensitive. I'm sorry." He said. Mia waved him off as if he could see it and told him it was okay.

"No, that's the thing. It's not black magic. There's no blood sacrifice or anything. It's just science, Dean." Sam said sounding happy. "Very, very, extremely weird science, but-"

"Wait, wait, wait. What are you saying? You think-"

"Dean, this could work." Mia said with a smile down at the phone. Sam was rubbing off on her.

"I mean, I know we've hit a lot of walls, but I think this formula, I think it might be it. This could save you." Sam said and Dean asked about the formula. "Well, I mean, look, we're not in the clear yet, there are still things that I don't get but-"

Sam was cut off when he was grabbed from behind and a rag was placed over his mouth. Maria picked up a knife off of the table and stabbed the doctor, but he just looked at her over his shoulder and laughed at her. She just kept stabbing him, knowing it wasn't going to do anything, but she didn't know what else to do. He let go of Sam who's head hit the desk before he turned on Maria who tried to make a run for it, but he was faster than she anticipated. He caught her before she could get out of the door and place the rag over her face. Her world went black as she struggled and failed to get away from him.

* * *

When Maria came to her eyes were taped open and she couldn't move her head, arms or feet. "Son of a-" she said as she started trying to wiggle out of her restraints.

"Maria, you okay?" She heard Sam's voice to her right and looked over as far as she could to see him strapped down as well.

"Yeah, I'm fine." She grunted out as she still pulled against the restraints.

She jumped when Dr. Benton walked over and rubbed her arm. "You can relax. It's all gonna be okay." He patted her arm. "Ain't nothin' gonna happen here that you got to worry about, Maria. Your chances of coming out of this procedure alive are very, very high." He said and she looked over to see him heating a small metal cookie dough scoop over an open flame. "Sammy over there, not so much."

"How do you know my name?" Sam asked.

"Oh…I know. Ya'll think I'm some kind of monster, don't you? Well, I gotta tell you, I NEVER done one thing that I didn't _have_ to do. This whole eternal life thing is very high-maintenance." The doc said to Sam before he turned to Maria. "Something goes bad, like my eyes here, you gotta replace them." He said as he ran his old, white, wrinkled hand over Maria's forehead. He then turned back to Sam. "And sometimes, things get damaged, like when your father cut out my heart. Or when you ran me over." He simulated a cutting motion over Sam's chest. "Now that was very inconvenient." He turned from Sam to pick up John's journal off of the table that sat between Sam and Maria's heads. "So I'm sure that you can understand all the joy I felt when I read all about myself here in his journal." He snapped the book shut and place it back on the table before he turned back to Sam. "Kinda makes this whole thing just feel like some kind of family reunion, don't it?"

"So you're just gonna take my eyes and whatever else you want from Sam?" Maria asked shakily.

He turned to her and tested the lever on the scoop to make sure it was going to work. "Yep and I guess it's about time that we get this thing started." Maria started shaking like a leaf as the scoop came closer to her eye. She couldn't help the little pants and whimpers that came from her and when she felt it touch her eyeball she screamed, knowing that she was about to lose her sight and possibly her baby.

But when three shots rang out the doc pulled back and turned to see Dean still holding up his gun. Mia was never more relieved in her life than when she heard the doctor drop the scoop to the floor. "Shoot all you want." She heard Benton say as he started advancing on Dean. Two more shots rang out before she heard someone crash to the floor. She screamed when she heard the familiar squish of someone being stabbed and Dean's grunt. The doctor started laughing. "A knife? What part of immortality do you not understand?" When the doc asked this question she knew that it was him that had been stabbed, not Dean. "Pity about the heart, though. It was a brand-new one."

"Good, it should be pumping nice and strong. Sending this stuff…throughout your whole body." She heard Dean say, but didn't know what he was talking about. "See I picked up your little bottle upstairs and dipped the knife in it." She heard the doc groaning before he crashed to the floor. She watched out of the corner of her eye as Dean undid the restraints on Sam's head and wrist before he left him to undo the rest and rushed to release Mia. As soon as she was completely free she sat up on the side of her bed and threw her arms around his neck. "Didn't I asked you not to get yourself killed?" he asked as he pulled back and brushed her hair out of her face.

"I'm sorry." She whispered as she wiped her face.

He just jerked his head for her to jump down off of the bed with a flat face and turned to look at his brother. "Help me get him up here."

Needing to be alone, Mia left the basement and shut herself into one of the dusty bedrooms. "What was I thinking? I can't do this anymore. I have another life growing inside me I can't put myself in danger like this anymore." She whispered to herself as she paced back and forth across a worn out rug. "Dean's pissed at me, I don't blame him." She whispered as she stopped pacing and rested her forehead on a dusty dresser. She took a few quiet minutes to get herself together and as calm as possible before she headed back downstairs.

When she walked over to the bed where the brothers had strapped the doctor down he started waking up. "Oh, hiya doc. Wakey wakey eggs and bakey." Dean greeted as he put one hand on the table and glared down at the doctor.

"Please." The doctor begged.

"Please what?" Dean asked. "You've been killing poor bastards for over 150 years and now you've got a request? Shut up." he said as he stood back up.

"You don't understand. I can help you I know what you need." The doctor said.

"We're gonna have to cut him up into little bits. You know this immortality thing is a bitch." Dean said with a smile as he looked across the table at Sam, who didn't smile back. Dean glanced at Mia before he looked back down at the doctor.

"I can read the formula for you. You know, immortality…forever young, never die." The doctor said and for once Dean didn't snap back with some smart-ass comment. He just stared down at him in thought.

"Dean." Sam said getting his brother attention.

"Sam." Dean answered and Sam jerked his head to the side letting him know he wanted to talk to him in private. Dean rolled his eyes, but followed him anyway.

Mia stayed behind, staring at the doctor in thought. He was so ugly and smelly. If they did do this to Dean, he would eventually look just like this guy. He would be pasty white, with stitches all over his wrinkled skin from replacing it over the years. She wanted Dean to be around to see their child grow up, but if this is what he would become…? He would scare the shit out of the poor kid. "Did you know I'm pregnant?" Maria asked the doctor making him take his eyes off of the brothers who stood at his head, to look at her.

"I did." He answered, his gravelly voice making Maria feel like clearing her throat.

"And you were just gonna scoop my eyes out anyway?" she asked and he just nodded. "Wow, you really are a monster." She said with tight lips and a nod before she walked around the dirty sheet to look at the brothers.

"What he is isn't living. Look this is simple." Dean was saying.

"Simple?" Sam asked.

"To me it is, okay? Black or white, human, not human." Dean said sternly.

"He's right, Sam." she said and Dean turned to look at her. "I mean, I don't want that around our kid." Mia said as she pointed to the doctor. "I want the kid to grow up in the dark, like normal kids do. I don't want it to have…_this_ for a dad." She walked back around the table to look at the doctor and the guys followed. "I'm sorry, Sam." she said apologetically.

"The doc here is a freakin' monster." Dean said. "I can't do it. I would rather go to hell." He said as he grabbed the bottle of chloroform and dosed a rag with it before he placed it over the begging doctor's mouth. He removed it when the doctor was completely out.

They placed the doctor in the old metal icebox from the cabin and chained it shut. It was dark by the time they got done digging the hole to bury him in. Maria wasn't allowed to help and after the events of the day she didn't feel like it. As hard as it was for her to do she sat her butt in the old plastic chair that was on the porch and watched them bury the screaming doctor.

When they got back to the motel Dean filled them in on what all he had found out about Bela. So they packed up their stuff and placed three blow up dolls under the covers in their beds, then hit the road. When the time was right, Dean called the phone of their hotel room, Bela answered. "Hiya, Bela. Here's a little fun fact for you. I felt your hand in my pocket when you swiped that motel receipt."

"You don't understand." Mia heard Bela say since Dean had put the phone on speaker.

"Oh, I'm pretty sure I understand perfectly. 'Cause see, I noticed something interesting in your hotel room. Something tucked above the door. An herb. The devil's shoestring?" Dean asked receiving no answer from Bela. "Well, there's ony one use for that. Holding hell hounds at bay. So you know what I did? I wen't back and I took another look at your folks' obit. Turns out they died 10 years ago today. You didn't kill them. A demon did your dirty work. You made a deal, didn't you, Bela? And it's come due." Dean said. "Is that why you stole the colt, huh. To ty to wiggle out of your deal? Our gun for your soul?" Dean asked.

"Yes." Bela answered a little shakier than Mia had anticipated.

"But stealing the colt wasn't quite enough, I'm guessing." Dean asked.

"They changed the deal. They wanted me to kill Sam." she said and Dean looked between her and his brother a few times with wide eyes.

"Really? Wow. Demons untrustworthy. Huh, shocker." Dean laughed. "That's, uh, kind of a tight deadline too. Uh, what time is it? Oh, look at that, almost midnight."

"Dean, listen, I need help." Bela cried and Mia didn't know if it was her hormones or just simple human empathy, but a small tinge of sympathy for Bela shot through her. But instead of showing it she crossed her arms over her chest and moved to rest her back against the seat and closed her eyes.

"Sweetheart, we are week's past help." Dean said.

"I know I don't deserve it." Bela cried and that's when Mia remembered all the hell that Bela put them through and the ting of sympathy was gone.

"You know what? You're right, you don't. But you know what the bitch of the bunch is?" Dean asked. "If you would've just come to us sooner and asked for help we probably could've taken the Colt and saved you." Dean said angrily.

"I know, and saved yourself." Bela sobbed. "I know about your deal, Dean." She said.

"And who told you that?" he asked.

"The demon that holds it. She holds mine too. She says she holds every deal." Bela answered.

"She?" Maria and Dean asked at the same time.

"Her name's Lilith." Bela said.

"Lilith? Why should we believe you?" he asked.

"You shouldn't, but it's the truth." She answered.

"This can't help you Bela. Not now. Why are you telling me this?" He asked.

"Because just maybe you can kill the bitch." Bela answered shakily.

Dean was quiet for a while before he replied with "I'll see you in hell." and hung up the phone.

They drove in silence until they found a hotel and crashed for the night.

* * *

The next morning Maria woke up before the brothers feeling dirty and sticky. So she got up and quietly showered before she started packing her stuff. She didn't know what the guys were planning on doing, but she had every intention of going to Bobby's like Dean originally wanted her to. So when Dean woke up and saw her already packed and ready to go he was confused. "What's going on?" he asked as he looked at her packed bag, crossed arms and crinkled brow.

"I can't do this anymore, Dean." She said as she stood from the desk chair and crossed the floor to stand a few feet away from him, but she stared at the floor as she spoke. "I was stupid to think I could still hunt, still help find a way to save you, but I can't. Not without putting myself and the baby at risk. I need to be somewhere safe. I need to get settled with a steady doctor start taking better care of myself."

Them talking woke Sam up and when he saw that they were talking about the baby, he grabbed his shower stuff and disappeared into the bathroom to give them some privacy. "Okay." Dean said as he stepped up and placed his hands on her hips. "I'll come with you." This made her look up at him. "I mean, we're clearly not finding anything out on the road. We'll crash at Bobby's and try to find something from there. It'll help that we know who holds my contract now." He said as he pulled her into his arm, hugging her a little tighter than usual.


	23. Chapter 23

**Disclaimer:** See Chapter one

**Sleeping With The Ally**

**Chapter 23: No Rest For the Wicked**

-7:00pm-

Dean's panting filled her ears along with the sound of his combat boots beating against the dirt. As he ran branches and leaves hit him in the face, but he didn't care, he just kept running. He was drawn to a stop when they heard a growl and all of a sudden, Mia was color blind as she saw Dean from the eyes of the hell hound. It that started chasing him back in the direction he had came from. She was still seeing though the dog's eyes as Dean was tackled to the ground and blood splattered his face.

She sat straight up in bed with a gasp and it took her a few seconds to catch her breath. She had been having these dreams for days now. At first she assumed it was because she usually slept next to Dean and his dreams were transferring over to her while they slept. But Dean wasn't with her now. He, Sam and Bobby had left that morning in a rushed attempt to find Lilith.

She was lying down on the couch hoping to read a good book and get her mind off of things, but she ended up falling asleep instead. She looked at the clock as she sat up and stretched. "Thirty hours left." She released a dreadful sigh.

"How ya doin' honey?" Ellen asked as she walked into the living room from the kitchen and handed her a steaming mug before she sat down in an old armchair.

"I good as I can be I guess." She said as she blew into the cup of honey vanilla chi tea making the steam waft up her nose. Surprisingly it didn't make her stomach churn. "Is there ginger in this?" she asked.

Ellen nodded. "Helps with the morning sickness." She said with a smile.

The two women sat in comfortable silence was they drank their tea. Maria was half way through her cup when her phone started ringing. She quickly picked it up to see Dean's name on the screen. "Hey, how's it goin'?" she asked as she stood up and stared pacing.

"Got some good news, don't know if it's gonna help much though." He said flatly.

"Really, what?" she asked as she turned and walked in the other direction.

"We know where Lilith is." He said. His voice sounded harsh and aggravated and she didn't understand why.

"Dean, that's awesome." She said with a confused crease in her brow.

"Yeah, it is I guess."

"Then why don't you sound aggravated?" she asked as she turned to walk in the opposite direction, but Ellen grabbed her by her shoulders, turned her to the couch and gave her a little push. Mia did as asked, ignoring her for the most part as she listened to Dean.

"Sam wants to summon Ruby." He said and she had the urge to stand back up and start pacing again.

"Did you tell him that that's a bad idea? That summoning a demon will only cause more problems?" she asked.

"Yeah, but Bobby agrees with him. I told them no, but I think that Sam's gonna do it anyway." She could hear his disappointment for Sam in his voice.

"So what are you gonna do?" she asked as she swept a lock of her hair out of her face.

"I'm gonna let him summon her and I'm gonna get that knife." He said the determination was clear in his voice. It was quiet between them for a moment as she thought about what he had told her. "So how are you doin'?" he asked.

"I'm fine, Dean. You don't have to ask every time you call. If anything I should be asking you." she said as she leaned back on the couch, wishing she could be there with him. "So, how are you?" she asked a little awkwardly.

"I'm doin' good." She could tell by the tone of his voice that he was lying to her, but she didn't want to pry if he didn't want to tell. "Anyway I just wanted to call, fill you in, and tell you I love you. So… I love you, Mia, and I'll call back when I can." He said with a huff.

"I love you too, Dean." She replied, trying to keep her voice steady. They didn't tell each other bye before they hung up.

—10:30pm—

"Hey, how's it goin'? Has Sam summoned Ruby yet?" Maria asked as she sat up in bed and answered her phone, knowing it was Dean because she got bored and figured out how to set a specific ring tone for him, Dierks Bentley's _"Come a Little Closer."_

"No, no I think he's gonna do it in the morning." Dean answered sounding more agitated than before and she couldn't blame him. She was just as nervous and aggravated. "I was gonna try to get a little shut eye, figured you'd probably be getting ready for bed too." He said and she glanced down at her blanket covered body. It had never been hard for her to fall asleep, not even now. She had been asleep for an hour before Dean called.

"Yeah, I just laid down." She lied not wanting him to know he had woken her up.

"Okay, well, I'll call you in the morning." He said and she made a sound of acknowledgement into the phone. "Goodnight and I love you."

"I love you to. Goodnight." She said before she hung up the phone to stare at it. She knew he was alive and safe for know, but an unsettled feeling in the pit of her stomach told her that something bad was coming. She just hoped with everything in her that it wasn't Dean's death. She pushed the feeling aside, telling herself she needed sleep to keep herself healthy, but really she just wanted to bury her head in a dream world and forget about what was going on in real life.

—7:00am—

_Come a little close, baby. I feel like laying you down on a bed of sweet surr-_ Dean's ringtone woke her up and she turned over with a yawn and flipped the pink razor open. "Hello?" he answered phone in a normal manor, letting him know by that and the sleepy tone of her voice that he had waken her.

"Morning sunshine." Dean greeted making her smile before she remembered what today was, the day that Dean's supposed to die.

"Moring, what's up?" she asked trying to play it cool.

"Sam summoned Ruby. We got the knife." He said and Mia could hear a little ruckus in the background.

"Cool, so now what?" she asked.

"Sam and me, we're going after Lilith." He said.

"Just you and Sam?" she asked as she got up off of the bed and started pacing since Ellen wasn't in the room to stop her. "What about Bobby?"

"He's not invited." He stated simply.

"But Dean, don't you think y'all could use his help?" she asked as she placed her hand on her hip and creased her brows.

"It's not his fight and I'm not gonna ask him to fight it." he said sternly so she let the subject drop.

"Okay, so when are y'all heading out?" she asked as she stopped pacing and stared down at her blue painted toenails in thought.

"Here in a few, we still got a bit of packing left to do." He said before she heard something slide over the mouthpiece of the phone, then muffled words. She assumed that he was saying something to Sam that was personal, and she was right.

"Okay, then I guess I'll let you get to it." she said as she ran her hand through her tangled hair with a nervous sigh. "Oh and Dean?" she said, making sure she had his attention and he made a sound that told her he was listening. "I love you."

"Hey, you beat me to it." he said with a tight laugh. "Alright, I'll talk to you later and I love you too." He said before they hung up. She knew Sam was probably giving him crap for how much they were saying they loved each other, but they both felt like they couldn't say it enough. Besides, it was better than saying bye. Neither of them were ready for that.

When she cleared her head she dialed Bobby's number. "Hello?" he answered and she wasn't surprised that he didn't sound like he had just woken up.

"Hey, do you know where the guys are?" she asked receiving a no from him. "Well, you might want to catch up to them, because Dean just called me. They have Ruby's knife and are about to go after Lilith without you." she informed him.

"Okay, thanks for the head's up…snitch." He said with a hint of humor in his voice and she couldn't help but smile to herself and shake her head. "I'll see you later." He hung up and she tossed her phone onto her bed before she fell backwards onto it.

About thirty minutes later she was sitting on the Bobby's couch watching some stupid cartoon when her phone buzzed. She looked down to see a text from Dean, "_Did you rat us out?"_

"_Nope."_ She replied back.

"_Liar." _He texted back.

"_Sorry."_ She texted, strangly not minding their one word conversation.

"_It's fine, don't worry about it."_ With that, their conversation was over.

Dean wasn't much on texting, but then on out he tested her ever hour on the hour. If he wasn't possibly going to die tonight, she would have found it annoying. Instead it was sweet and she saved the messaged to her sim card.

—8:45pm—

Maria was sitting on the couch, talking with Ellen, who had been trying and failing to distract her from thinking about Dean, when her phone starting ringing Dean's tone. "Hey." She answered as calmly as she could. She wanted to asked if Lilith was dead yet, but she didn't want to be too eager.

"Hey, just wanted to let you know we're here. We're about to go find Lilith." His words made her heart skip a beat in a mixture of both hope and dread.

"Okay… well… just…" she stumbled around not wanting to say anything that would distract him from the task at hand. "Say focused on gankin' that bitch." She stated lamely.

"Were you trying to sound like me?" he asked with a hit of amusement in his voice.

"No, but you do tend to run off on people." She answered with a sad smile in her voice.

"Okay, well, I love you." he said, his tone let her know that he needed to get going.

"I love you too." She replied not letting her voice show that tears were slowly streaking her face.

"Wish me luck?" he asked.

"Good luck." He didn't miss the fact that her voice cracked on the last word.

—11:55pm—

Maria had been sitting on the couch, watching the clock tick for the past hour, waiting to hear good news from Dean. "Why don't you go try to get some sleep?" Ellen asked, trying to get her to take her eyes off of the clock.

"I'm not sleepy." Maria answered flatly, still watching the second hand slowly tick away the remaining minutes of Dean's life.

"Maria, sitting there watching that damn clock isn't going to help him or you." Ellen said sternly as she stepped into Maria's line of view.

"Pretending like everything is going to be okay isn't going to help either, Ellen." Maria said as she stood and squared up to her. Maria opened her mouth to say something, but the clock started chiming, signaling that it was 12:00. They both looked at the clock with watery eyes.

It felt as if things were moving in slow motion as her eyes traveled to meet Ellen's. And when the clock struck 12:01 if felt as if someone had dropped a fifty pound weight down Maria's throat for it to slam into the pit of her stomach, making her sit on the couch and stare out into space. "Maria?" Ellen asked as she moved around the coffee table to sit next to Maria. She put a hand on her back and leaned forward to try to see Maria's face.

"No, no, no, no." Maria cried. She didn't know exactly what was happening, but she knew it wasn't good. When Dean's screams and grunts of intense pain ricocheted through her head she flinched and pressed her hands over her ears. But it didn't help and leaned forward, tucking her head between her knees and squeezed her eyes shut. This didn't help either, because as soon as her eyes close she saw _and_ heard Dean. He was tossing and turning on a dark hardwood floor, his back arched as he was ripped to shreds by invisible claws. She jerked her eyes wide open, not wanting to see the him like that, but there was nothing she could do about his screams. Even after his yelling and screaming faded away she stayed in her tucked position, staring at the table leg on the floor in front of her. She tried not to blink, because every time she did she saw Dean stung up by meat hooks, attached to chains that were attached to god knows what. There was one hook in each ankle and wrist along with one in his shoulder and another in his ribs. Each time she blinked she heard his scream. They were screams for help, for Sam… He even screamed her name a few times with tears streaming down his battered face.

She didn't know if she was sad or grateful when the images and screams stopped, but eventually she was able to sit up and turn her head toward Ellen. "Maria, what just happened?" the older woman asked with wide, watery, scared eyes. "Are you okay?" she asked at Maria's silence.

"No…" she answered as she shook her head not really looking at the older woman that she barely knew. "Dean's dead." Her words were shaky, but she was no longer crying.

"How do you know?" Ellen asked sounding just as shaky as Maria.

"I just saw it…" Maria whispered, staring through Ellen more than looking at her. "I saw him in hell."

Ellen's whole body shook as she turned from Maria and left the room with her hand over her mouth. Maria assumed that Ellen didn't want to cry in front of her and she understood, because she too retreated to the room in Bobby's house that she had been calling hers. She locked the door behind her, pressed her back against in and slid down. She couldn't keep her body from trembling violently, couldn't keep the tears from slipping down her blanched face, and she couldn't keep the too loud sobs from exiting her mouth. What had been her whole world for the past year had just been drug into a pit of eternal flames… And there was _nothing_ she could do about it.

After a few hours of hiding away in her room, she managed to pull herself together enough to hunt down her phone. Over those hours her hands had steadied, but as she stared at Bobby's name on the screen they started shaking again. She needed to call him to confirm what she already knew, but she didn't want to. So with a hesitant thumb she hit the call button. "It ain't good if that's why you're callin'." He said when he finally answered the phone "He's-"

"Dead…I know." She numbly finished the sentence for him.

"How did you find out?" Bobby asked sounding a little confused.

"I don't…" her voice shook so she covered the mouthpiece, took a deep breath then let it out. "I really don't want to talk about it right now." She answered stronger now, but even through the phone, Bobby could tell that it was just a front that she was putting on for his sake. "Where are you guys?" she asked.

"A cabin. The outskirts of Pontiac, Illinoise." He answered getting to the point and she started packing a bag. "Why do you want to know?"

"Because I'm coming to you." she answered as she threw on the jacket Sam had given her and grabbed her bag as she unlocked the bedroom door and headed down stairs.

"Why?" Bobby said. His tone suggested that she was stupid.

"Because, Bobby. No offense to Ellen, I've really appreciated that she's been here for me over the past two days, but she isn't what I need right now." She said as she got to the bottom of the stairs and saw Ellen sitting on the couch looking at her with red eyes.

Ellen saw the bag in her hand and heard what she had said. She just gave Maria a nod of understanding and jerked her head to the front door. "Yeah, okay." Bobby drawled, knowing that there was no danger to her now that it was all over and there was nothing he could do to stop her. "I'll send you the address." He said before she hung up and she walked out of the door.

Her keys dropped into her lap when she got into her car and flipped down the sun visor. It was somehow comforting to be in her car, the closest thing she had to a home.

She drove all night and day and by the time she got to the cabin, she drove around back to hide her car. When she knocked on the door, Sam answered and automatically pulled her into a hug. She didn't hesitate to throw her arms around him and hug his back just as tight.

**A/N**: Okay guys, now I am stuck in an internal debate. I have been asked to keep the baby alive, and before I was asked this I had every intention for Mia to have a miscarriage, but now I'm wondering how my story would turn out if she didn't lose the baby. Like I said, I'm stuck. So I'm putting it to a vote. PM (private message) me with what you would like to happen. Lose the baby or Keep it. The winning vote will be what happens. I'll leave voting open for a week from today. That will give me a week to write a chapter for both scenarios.


	24. Chapter 24

Disclaimer: See Ch.1

**Sleeping With The Ally**

**Chapter 24****: Moving on.**

—Three Weeks Later &amp; Twelve Weeks Pregnant—

Mia sat on the edge of the hotel couch, her head hanging low as tears silently slipped from her eyes to land in her lap. The numb feeling was back. The same numbness she felt after her family died. It feet like time wasn't moving. She didn't even know how long she had been sitting there silently crying. It was almost like she had forgotten that she even existed. But then Sam let himself into her room breaking the silence when he shut the door. Her body swayed as he sat down next to her and the couch gave into his weight. "I got gut us food." His voice sounded as dull as she felt.

"I don't want any." Her flat words were followed with a small sniffle as she wiped the tissue she had in her hand under her eyes. Sam laid his hand on her back and rubbed in a small circle. She wiped her face with the tissue again before she looked up at him with bloodshot eyes that matched his. She had given up on not letting him see her cry after a few days of trying to act strong.

"Come on, you need to eat. It's pizza, Hawaiian, your favorite." He said moving his hand to rub her shoulder encouragingly. He was right. All she had done in the past two weeks was cry herself to sleep, cry in the shower, then eat something just for the sake of the baby. After that she'd suck it up and get in the car with him, (she had once again left her car at Bobby's per Sam's request), then stop at a hotel, isolate herself and cry some more. "Think of the baby."

"I'm not hungry." She said flatly before staring down at her hands as she rested back on the couch and brought her bare feet up to fold her legs to the side. Doing this made her lean slightly toward Sam.

"Dean wouldn't want you to starve." Sam said in hopes of getting her to eat. But hearing him say Dean's name out loud made a pain shoot through her chest. As she looked up at Sam a tear escaped and she didn't bother to wipe it away. She could tell by the look in his eyes that he was feeling exactly like she was and he didn't blame her for not eating.

She looked down at her hands again as more tears slid down her cheeks. "I know he wouldn't..." her voice trailed off and a sob shook her body.

Sam reached out and touched her arm. "Come here." His soft voice and sleight tug on her arm made her scoot over, wrap her arms around his waist and press her face into his hard chest. She couldn't see it, but he too had tears in his eyes as his arms wrapped around her shoulders and one of his hands imbedded its fingers into her soft waves. She was glad that Sam was here for her now, unlike when they were dealing with the trickster.

When the tears stopped and she was sure she could look at him without crying she pulled back, but her arms stayed wrapped around him. It almost felt like if she let him go he too would disappear and she would truly be alone. "I miss him." She said, her voice just a whisper as she looked into his hazel eyes.

"Yeah, me too." He whispered back and she watched his hand move toward her face to brush a wayward lock of hair out of her eyes to tuck it behind her ear.

Without thinking about it he let his hand slide down to rest on the side of her neck. The mood suddenly flipped as her eyes moved from his hand to his eyes. Their faces gravitated closer and closer, both of them silently questioning the moment, until their lips finally met and their eyes slipped shut. The light kiss lingered on for a minute before they pulled back to stare at each other. It was weird to say the least, but somehow...it felt...right. "Are you sure?" Sam asked.

All she knew for sure was that for the first time in two weeks she didn't feel completely numb. She didn't quite know what she was feeling, but it was something and she didn't want to lose it. So she nodded and Sam leaned into her. She gripped his sides and gently pressed her lips to his again. As the kiss deepened Sam's hand slid down her side to grip her outer thigh and pull her into his lap.

Once she was comfortably straddling him his hands went up to lightly cup each side of her face. His kisses became quick and hasty and her hands gripped the side of his shirt and she ground herself into him. He hissed in response and grabbed her hair so he could roughly pull her head to the side. This gave him access to her neck that he kissed and sucked before biting down into the sensitive skin.

A Shockwave of pleasure shot through every limb of her body making her moan. He let go of her hair and returned his lips to hers as he gripped her hips and helped her grind harder against him. His tongue found its way into her mouth, instantly winning the battle with hers.

Her hands wanted to be everywhere on his body at one time and ended up gripping the back of his shoulders as a pleasured sound escaped her lips. She raised her arms over her head when she felt his hands grip the hem of her shirt. He quickly tugged it over her head before she did the same to him. He tried to kiss her again, but she pulled back, making him realize she was staring at him. She had seen him shirtless many times before, but hadn't paid attention to how attractive he really was. "Holy frigging hell." She said not taking her eyes off of the ripples of muscle that covered his chest and stomach. Her eyes clung to Dark stringed necklace of Dean's that now hung around Sam's neck, but she made herself look back up into Sam's eyes.

He smiled brightly at the lust in her eyes. He noticed the two friendship necklaces that hung around Maria's neck. He reached out and picked up the one that Dean used to wear Maria's smile fell as she looked down at it. She was a bit confused when Sam dropped the necklace and picked up her left hand. But when he gripped the ring that sat snuggly on her ring finger and pulled it off, she knew what he was doing. He flipped her hand over and laid the ring in her palm. She stared at it for a second before she took off her friendship necklace, threaded the ring onto the chain then placed it back around her neck.

As Sam looked away from the necklaces his eyes landed on the scars on her shoulders. His hand slid up her arms and onto her shoulders where his palms rested. His thumbs gently slid over the small circular scars, as if he could wipe them away. "I wish I could take those back." He admitted with sad eyes.

"I don't." She whispered, taking his big hands from her shoulders to sandwich them between her own. The size difference made her smile before she looked up from them to see Sam's questioning look. "You saved me from myself." She answered with a shrug of her shoulders.

"God, you fascinate me sometimes." He said before he grabbed her face with both of his hands and pulled her into a kiss.

He wrapped her lags around him before he stood up and walked over to the bed. He leaned over and let go of her. He smiled at the umph sound she made as she bounced. She smiled, with lust in her eyes as she pulled him on top of her. He hovered above her while they made out for a few minutes before she rolled over on top of him and started kissing his neck. Out of old habit with Dean she kissed her way to his left peck muscle and bit down right above his nipple. It pulled an animalistic growl out of him and he reached down and grabbed a handful of her hair bringing her back up to kiss him. She knew it had the same effect on Sam when he cursed under his breath, bit her lip and started unbuttoning her jeans. While he worked on hers she worked on his and they broke apart long enough to take them off before Sam laid back, grabbed her and pulled her onto his lap. She hissed and threw her head back in pleasure when he entered her.

* * *

She woke up with her head lying on Sam's chest. One of his arms was wrapped around her shoulders while the other hand rested on his stomach. One of her arms was tucked between the two of them, but her free hand rested on his stomach next to his. With a sad small smile she took in his sleeping form. Her eyes scanned up from his toned stomach that was half covered with the white sheet to his chest. She smiled to herself at the memory of how he'd reacted when she bit him there. From there she moved her eyes to her face. His long hair covered his closed eyes so she lifted her hand from his warm stomach to brush it to the side. Her fingertips grazed his forehead and he jerked awake.

"Good morning." He said with a one armed stretch before he picked up her hand to intertwine his fingers with hers.

"Morning." She replied, as she looked into his eyes and gave him a half hearted smile. She didn't know how good this morning was. Well, last night had been good, but this morning it felt as if a big ball of deceit had lodged it's self in the pit of her stomach. Was she cheating on Dean? It kinda felt like it.

He could tell she was distracted so he brushed her messy hair out of her face and cupped her cheek in his big hand. "What are you thinking about?" he asked as he brushed his thumb over her cheekbone.

"You…and me…and the baby." She answered slowly as if she was trying to figure out what was goin on in her own head. "I just have a thousand questions about my future running through my head ya know?"

"Like what? Talk to me." he said as he tucked her hair behind her ear then rested his hand on her hip.

"Like the fact that I never wanted to raise my kids as hunters. Like, what does this," she waved her hand between the two of them, "mean for us? Is there even an us?" she asked.

"Do you want there to be?" he asked sounding as if he were afraid to hear the answer.

"Well…yeah." She answered with a small smile that Sam returned as he turned onto his side, pulled her close and kissed her."But I don't see how it could work. I can't be a hunter anymore. I need to settle somewhere where I can give this kid a normal life." She said as she looked into his light green eyes.

"Then when you settle down I'll come visit you when I can." She said as he slid his hand up her exposed side causing goose bumps to cover her skin. Sam noticed and pulled her close and tugged the sheet up over them thinking that she was cold. "I'll take you to Bobby's to get your car, but first…" he trailed off as he placed his hand on her neck and kissed her. All thoughts about feeling like she was deceiving Dean left her mind and quiet moan escaped her as he rolled onto his back, pulling her with him.

—The Next Day—

Sam had found a case in Colorado, so they were going separate ways. Bobby wasn't home when they arrived at his house so Maria helped herself to her car. The door was unlocked and when she flipped down the sun visor the keys fell into the palm of her hand. She stood up straight and turned to come face to face with Sam. "So I'll see you later?" she asked looking as sad as she sounded.

"Yep, as soon as I'm done in Colorado." She stood on her tiptoes and pecked him on the lips before she got in her car.

"Be careful." She said before she closed the door and rolled the window down.

"You too." Sam said as he leaned down and kissed her through the open window then headed to the Impala.

She watched Sam get in the Impala and she couldn't help thinking about how weird it was to not see Dean sitting in the passenger seat. She was happy to have Sam, but she still really missed Dean. A pang of grief shout through her chest and a tear slid down her cheek. She brushed it aside with a sigh then started the car.

—Two Weeks Later &amp; Fourteen Weeks Pregnant—

Maria hadn't heard from Sam in a week and a half and the last time she had spoken to him he seemed distant. So she kept moving until she finally stopped at a motel in Minnesota. When she saw a bar down the street she decided to go in. She couldn't drink and she wasn't planning to. She just simply missed the atmosphere.

She almost felt out of place as she walked in and sat down at the dimly lit bar. "Just a coke please." She said to the bartender, not looking up from the sonogram from her last ultrasound on her phone.

"Hey, you've been in here before haven't you?" The bartender asked getting her attention.

"I don't know." She said distractedly as she looked up. "Wait, yeah I think I have." She said as she took in the sight of a familiar guy with longer blond hair and brown eyes.

"I thought so." He said with a smile. "You were here with those two guys." Her heart tightened painfully in her chest at the mention of the brothers. One was tall and quiet. The other was a little shorter and flirted with anything in a skirt." He said as if it were a question.

"Yeah, that was Sam and Dean." She said not knowing why she told him their names.

"And you had a thing for Dean." When he said that, she remembered exactly who this familiar man was.

"Dylan." She whispered to herself and he asked what she said. "Your name's Dylan, right?"

"So you remember me?" he asked with a smile and a quirked brow. Maria just nodded and took a swig of the glass bottled coke he sat down in front of her. She couldn't help thinking that it would taste better with a little Jack in it. "So did Dean ever realize what a catch you are?" he asked.

His question pulled her out of her head a little bit. "Yeah, eventually." She held up her necklace with the ring on it. He looked impressed until she let it fall back to her chest and he looked up from it to see that she didn't look happy.

"So what happened?" he asked. Bartenders were usually good at small talk, but this guy was taking the cake.

"I got pregnant and he…left." She couldn't bring herself to tell him that Dean died. Dylan could take how she phrased it as he liked. She wouldn't correct him if he assumed that Dean left her because she got pregnant.

Dylan crossed his arms over his broad chest and shook his head. "Wow, talk about a douche move."

"Yeah." Maria almost scoffed out the word.

"Dylan, would you stop harassing the girl and get to work?" A woman called from across the bar and they looked away from each other to see that since she had walked in, the place had gotten swamped by people. The woman was trying to serve five people at once.

"Oops, I gotta get to work." He said with an ashamed face and started to walk off, but he back pedaled and looked at her across his shoulder. "I'll see you later?" he asked with squinted eyes and a point at her.

"I'll probably still be here." She said with a shrug and he smiled at her as he nodded his head and walked off.

She had just finished eating a platter of nachos when a man that she had noticed had been eyeing her from the other end of the rounded bar asked her to dance. She read his mind, considering she could still do it with no consequences, and found nothing threatening. She didn't feel like dancing, but decided to give it a try. After all, Dean wanted her to move on and be happy and Sam was obviously busy with other things.

So she nodded her head and when she hopped down off of the stool he held his hand out for hers. She took it and let him lead her to the small dance floor as a slow song started up. She placed her hands around his neck and he gently held her hips. There was only one way to describe their side to side swaying, awkward. They didn't speak a word to each other until the song was over. "Thanks, I guess." Maria said as she scratched the back of her neck. All she got back was a simple "welcome" as they parted ways.

She went back to her still open stool at the bar and Dylan walked over. "So did you enjoy your dance with Jason?"

"Oh, so that's his name." she said as he took her empty bottle, popped the top off of another and slid it to her across the bar. "I think that was one of the most awkward situations I've ever been in." she answered before she grabbed the cold bottle and took a sip.

"Yeah…" he drawled, "Jason doesn't have game like I do."

"Oh, so you think you've got game?" Maria asked challengingly cracking a smile for the first time in weeks.

"Well, yeah, you're talkin' to me ain't cha?" he answered with a sparkle in his eyes that made her laugh.

"Okay, okay, you've made your point Romeo."

He was about to say something when the screeching of a microphone too close to a speaker made them both flinch. "Alright, alright, alright. Let's get this party started." Someone standing on a small stage in the corner said and Maria could tell by the screen that sat in front of two microphone stands that karaoke was about to start. Suddenly she was back at Applebee's with Sam and Dean.

"Hey are you okay?" Dylan asked noticing her distant look.

"Yeah, yeah." She said as she blinked away the memory. "I think I'm gonna go." She pulled her wallet out of her purse and counted out some cash before she sat it on the bar and turned to leave.

"Can I at least get your number?" he called to her over the music that stared up.

She turned to look at him to see that he was holding a pen with a questioning look on his face. So she quickly walked over, took the pen from him, grabbed a small square napkin and wrote her number down. She leaned over the bar and tucked it into his front pant pocket before she turned and left.

—Three Weeks Later &amp; Seventeen Weeks Pregnant—

_You couldn't see me,_

_watching through the window._

_Wondering what went wrong._

_Praying that you wouldn't go._

_You should have kissed me_

_You should have pushed me up against the wall_

_You should have kissed me_

_I was right on the edge and ready to fall._

-Gloriana "(Kissed you) good night"

Maria stood in the bathroom, staring at herself in the full length mirror. She had never been one to get stuck on self image, but she couldn't help thinking that she looked like a bloated mess. She turned to the side and ran her hand over the bump in her stomach, but she jumped and pulled her hand back when the phone started ringing. She rolled her eyes at herself for getting so lost in thought that she forgot that she sat an alarm to remind her to get ready for her date with Dylan. She almost felt bad going on a date with him, but she still hadn't heard from Sam. She had tried calling him and calling him to no avail. So sadly she had given up on him and accepted Dylan's advances.

She had already fixed her hair into a wavy up do that let some waves hang around her face, but she still needed to put on makeup and pick out which one of the three dresses she had bought earlier that day she was going to wear.

So with a nervous sigh she started applying her makeup. Smokey browns accented her light eyes, light bronzer warmed up her pale skin and ruby red lipstick completed the look. Now that she had her face done, she knew what dress she was going to wear.

When Dylan knocked on her door at 6:30 she answered it and watched as he was rendered silent. His jaw dropped slightly as he took in the fitted, black knee length dress with ¾ length sleeves, a black satin ribbon that was tied just above her baby bump and strappy heels. "Too dressy?" she asked nervously as she pulled at the skirt.

"No." he said still in awe. "Not at all." He shook himself out of his daze and smiled at her. "You've really never been on a date before?" he asked wondering how no one had asked her out before. He held his white dress shirt covered arm out to her and she took it.

"No, not really." She answered as they walked down the hallway of the apartment building she was currently living in.

After a short drive they walked into a fancy restaurant. "Name please?" the woman standing behind the podium asked. Dylan told her his name and they were immediately escorted to a table.

Two plates of delicious food, four awesome virgin drinks and two hours later they finally asked for the check. The waitress handed the black book to him and she caught a glimpse of the bill that he was trying to hide from her. "Whoa, Dylan, let me help with that." She said as she tried to take the book from him but he jerked it back.

"Nope. I asked you out and I chose the place. I got it." he said getting defensive.

She looked at him with furrowed brows, but didn't protest. If he wanted to be a gentleman then she wasn't going to stop him. "No offense, but how can you afford this? You work at a bar." She asked hoping he wouldn't get mad at her for asking.

He just laughed as he placed his card in the black folder and sat it on the edge of the table for the waitress to grab when she came back around. "Wow, that's bold of you."

"Sorry." She apologized.

He waved her off with a smile. "I don't just work at the bar, I own it." she didn't know what to say to that so he kept the conversational ball rolling. "Have you found a job yet?" he asked knowing that the last time she was at the bar she was unemployed.

"No." she answered as she picked absentmindedly at the noodles still left on her plate. "When I wasn't on the road I was a waitress or a fry cook. And given my current situation I can't be on my feet that long."

"Then work in the bar." he said matter-of-factly.

"Are you serious?" she asked with a laugh and the waitress came by and picked up the ticket.

"Yeah, sure why not?" he asked with a serious face. "You'll only be on your feet for six hours and if you get tired there's a break room you can use for as long as you need to." He explained.

"Wow you really are serious aren't you?" Maria asked as she sat back in her chair to look at him with and amused face. He just shrugged and sat back in his chair waiting for an answer. "Okay, I'll do it." she said as she sat back up and the waitress came and handed him the little black book that contained his receipt and card. "Thank you." Maria said and the waitress replied, but Dylan knew she was talking to him.

"Hey, don't thank me. A single mother needs to be able to support her kid." He said with a smile and she stared at him in awe as he put his card in his wallet, stood and tucked it into his back pocket. When he held his hand out to her she took it and let him lead her out of the restaurant and to his car. They had driven to the restaurant in silence, but after he pulled out onto the highway he turned on the radio. AC/DC's _highway to hell_ started playing and she pressed another button on the radio. This time pop music started playing so she left it there. "I take it you don't like Rock music?" he asked with humor in his voice at her hasty movement.

"No, not really." She answered, not being able to hide the unspoken fact that there was a reason she didn't want to hear it.

They drove in comfortable silence until they got to her apartment building. He insisted that she stay put and let him open her door for her, then insisted on walking her to her door. "So I had fun tonight." He said as they came to a stop in front of her front door.

"Yeah, me too." She said with a small smile.

"So I'll see you around?" he asked sounding a little nervous for the first time that night.

She laughed out loud at his question. "I guess you will since I'll be working at your bar every night."

"Right." He laughed remembering his offer. "I'll see you tomorrow then." He said as he place his and on her shoulder. He leaned slightly forward and she just knew he was going to kiss her, but instead he rocked back on his feet and dropped his hand. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight." She replied back and he gave her and awkward smile as he turned and walked away. When she could no longer see his back she unlocked her door and went inside. She tossed her keys and purse onto the bar as she crossed the living room and went to the window. It overlooked the parking lot from the second story so she could see him when he climbed into his car and started it. But when he didn't drive away she projected herself into his head.

"_Why didn't you kiss her? God you're a coward. You should just kiss her, just run back to that door and bang on it until she answers."_ She watched him debate internally for a minute or two until he ran his hand though his hair, aggravated with himself, got out of his car and headed back toward the building. Maria rushed out of the door, down the hallway and into the elevator. When it got to ground level and opened up, Dylan was standing on the other side. He stepped into the elevator with a smile, wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her into a kiss as the door closed.

—One Weeks Later &amp; Eighteen Weeks Pregnant—

Maria still tried calling Sam on occasion, but it was pointless.

She wasn't aware that Dylan was watching her as she waited in a male customer. The man was clearly flirting with her and Maria laughed at the guys jokes, but Dylan could tell that the smiles were fake. They didn't quite reach her eyes the way the smiles she gave him did.

It was Thursday night which was karaoke night. Coincidently it was Maria's most dreaded night to work. As AC/DC's "You Shook Me All Night Long" started playing Maria flinched and glared at the man standing behind the microphone. She had heard Dean sing along with his song in the Impala and it put this out of pitch guy to shame. Dylan noticed her flinch and he couldn't help wondering why she hated classic rock so much.

Things were winding down for the night when Dylan walked by Maria to get a bottle off of the top shelf and he heard her humming a slow song. He was surprised to find that her voice was so good and he wondered why she didn't sing more often. "Hey, Maggie, why don't you give it a shot?" he asked with a nod at the karaoke setup.

"Oh, uh, I'm not that good." She replied as she looked down at the bar shyly.

"Liar, I just heard you." he said, challenging her like he usually did. She just looked nervously at the set up, contemplating what would happen if she had a panic attack while pregnant. Then Dean's words echoed through her head. _Play your guitar…sing._ They woman that was singing finished up and walked off the stage. "Now's your chance." Dylan said with a nod to the stage.

She took in a deep breath and walked over to the guy running the show, Martin. "What's it gonna be?" he asked and she told him a song.

It took him a minute to pull it up on his computer and when she stepped behind the microphone the music started playing. "I miss the look of surrender in your eyes, the way your soft brown hair would fall. I miss the power of your kiss when we made love, but baby most of all I miss my friend. The one my heart and soul confided in. The one I felt the safest with. The one who knew just what to say to make me laugh again and let the light back in. I miss my friend." The bar was mostly empty, but the handful of people that were still in the bar had be captivated by her voice and the words she was singing. But she wasn't looking at them to see. She had her eyes closed, not even looking at the lyrics on the screen. "I miss the colors that you brought into my life. Your golden smile, those blue-green eyes. I miss your gentle voice in lonely times like now saying it'll be alright. I miss my friend."

Dylan knew who she was talking about, understood that she still had very strong feelings for Dean. Dean was the father of her baby. Dylan couldn't expect her to get over him just like that. The song and how much of herself she was pouring into it, was a loud and clear signal that she was nowhere near close to over Dean. But Dylan still hoped that Maria could move on with him.

"I miss those times. I miss those nights. I even miss the silly fights. The making up. The morning talks and those late afternoon walks. I miss my friend… I miss my friend." As she finished up the song she opened her eyes and looked around the bar to see that the few people that weren't completely and totally smashed had tears in their eyes. Even Dylan look a little misty eyed.

So she clicked off the microphone and headed back to the bar. When she got close to Dylan, he pulled her into a tight hug. She thanked him for it as they released each other and got back to work. After everyone had left Maria started wiping down the tables. "Hey, so the town is throwing a fourth of July party in the park tomorrow night." He stated as he started wiping down the table across from the one she was cleaning.

"Okay?" she asked wondering where he was going with this.

"I was wondering if you'd like to go with me." he said as he stopped wiping the table to look at her. "You know there'll be hotdogs and BBQ they even have the stuff to make smores." He said with a smile.

Maria looked up at him and ran her hand through her hair, reminding herself that Dean wanted her to move on. "Yeah, sure, sounds fun." She said with a tight lipped smile.

"Hey, look, you don't have to go if you don't want to." He said, noticing she looked like she really didn't want to go.

"No, I want to." She said as she tossed the rag onto the table and moved to place her hands on his shoulders. "Like I said, it sounds fun and I could use a little fun right now."

"_I'll give you something fun to do on me."_ She heard his thought and couldn't help the smile that came across her face and the little laugh that escaped her. It was the closest thing to a dirty thought that she had picked up from the guy. Even during their few makeout sessions he had kept his thoughts PG. "What's so funny?" he asked with a confused smile.

"Nothing." She laughed and went back to cleaning the tables.

—One Week Later &amp; Nineteen Weeks Pregnant—

It was seven in the afternoon when her cell phone started ringing. Only four people had that number Dylan, Sam, Bobby and her doctors office. Dylan was standing right next to her so it wasn't him. Bobby always called earlier in the morning since he knew her work schedule, and the doctor's office was closed. So that only left one person that it could be, Sam. So she dusted her hands off on her apron and answered the phone. "Sam?" she asked as she around the wall that sat behind the bar.

"Hey Maria." His voice sounded like he was smiling.

"Hey Maria?" she asked, letting her voice sound as pissed as she felt. "I haven't heard from you in how long and that's the first thing you have to say to me?" she walked around the other side of the wall and got Dylan's attention. She pointed to her cell phone then to the back, letting him know it was a call that she had to take.

"I know, I'm sorry." He said now sounding less happy.

"You're sorry?" she asked as she walked out of the bar's back door. "I worried about you for weeks, for week Sam, and to be completely honest I stopped worrying weeks ago.

"Where are you?" he asked sounding like a kicked puppy.

"Why do you want to know?" she asked with an attitude induced saw of her head.

"I want to see you." he said simply.

She sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose with the hand that wasn't holding her phone. "Rochester Minnesota." She sighed as she dropped her hand from her face. "Why haven't you called?" she asked as she paced the rock parking lot behind the bar.

"I got a lead on Lilith." He said and she shook her head.

"So? You couldn't take two second's to call me and tell me that you were alive?" she asked still sounding pissed.

"I'm sorry okay? I didn't want you to worry about me." he explained.

"Didn't want me to worry?" she yelled before she stopped pacing and growled in frustration. "Whatever." She sighed. "If you really care to see me, I'm working at the rusty anvil bar and I have an apartment in the Hillcast apartments." She informed him before she pulled the phone back from her ear and spoke into the mouthpiece. "Bye Sam." She snapped the phone shut, shoved it into her pocket then headed into the bar.

Things at the bar were winding down when her phone rang again. She pulled it out of her pocket to see Sam's name on the small front screen. She sighed before she flipped it open and answered it. "Yeah?" she asked, still aggravated with him and slightly surprised that he had called her again.

"I'm outside." He informed her. "Can you get out of work?" he asked sounding hopeful.

"I can try." She said flatly before she closed her phone, cutting off anything he had to say.

She found Dylan and Cassandra, the other bartender, at the other end of the bar. "Would you guys mind terribly if I head home?" She asked and Cassandra looked at Dylan with a shrug.

Dylan noticed her weird behavior and pulled her to the back. "It wasn't Dean on the phone earlier was it?" he asked and she shook her head no.

"No, it's just an old girl friend of mine is in town and I really wanna see her." she felt bad for lying to him, but she wasn't going to tell him the truth. He told her she could go, so she gathered the jacket that Sam had bought her and her purse and headed to the parking lot.

It wasn't hard to spot the street lamp illuminated Impala parked in the back of the lot, nor was it hard to miss the tall man leaning against it. She walked up to Sam with her arms crossed over her chest, but as soon as she got close enough he pulled her into a hug. She didn't want to return it, but his warm arms melted the icy exterior she had put around herself and she found her arms wrapping around his toned torso. She didn't refuse when he leaned down and pressed his lips to hers. "I missed you." he said with a cheeky smile.

"I'm still mad at you." she said as she crossed her arms back over her chest and glared up at him, but he could tell it was a half hearted gesture.

"Do these help?" he asked as he opened the door of the Impala and leaned inside. When he stood back up he was holding a bundle of wilting red roses.

"Flowers?" she asked with a small smile as she took them from him.

"I swear they were alive when I bought them." He laughed and she smiled. It was impossible to stay mad at him. He leaned in to kiss her and she leaned back. He gave her a questioning look.

"Not here." She said as she looked back at the bar to make sure Dylan hadn't seen her kiss Sam. "My boss thinks that I'm meeting up with an old girl friend." She explained before she started walking to her car that was parked behind the bar. "Follow me to my apartment." She called over her shoulder.

"Are you hungry?" she asked as she led him into her kitchen where she started putting the flowers into a vase. He gave her a positive answer. She placed the vase on the bar that separated the kitchen from the living room and headed to the fridge. "Are you in the mood for dinner or breakfast?" she asked as she peered down at the plethora of food in the fridge. When she stood back up her back hit Sam's chest and he wrapped his arms around her torso to rest on her rounded stomach.

"Breakfast sounds good." He said quietly in her ear. "I don't think you have enough food in there." he commented.

She just laughed as she pushed him back a bit and started pulling ingredients out of the fridge. "Omelet sound good?" she asked.

"Anything you cook sounds good to me." he said as he hopped up to sit on her bar. He watched her cook in silence.

When he saw that she was almost finished cooking he hopped down off of the bar and sat down at the small dining table. "So how have you been?" Sam asked.

"Other than having to pee every five minutes I'm good." She sighed with a small laugh as she absent-mindedly rubbed her itchy belly with one hand and flipped the eggs that she was cooking with the other.

"I didn't mean physically." He elaborated and she sat an omelet down in front of him.

"Considering that I lost the father to my baby and then you ditched me I'm...getting bye." She said as she started walking around to the chair across from him but he grabbed her hand, making her freeze in her tracks. He looked at her giving her the puppy dog eyes that he was so good at doing and her heart melted.

"Sorry." He quietly apologized as he let go of her and she sat down across from him.

"It's fine." She cleared her throat and changed the topic. "Bobby calls almost every other day. He said you and Dean are like his sons. So I'm basically his daughter-in-law carrying his grandchild." She said with a sad smile as she placed her hand on her bump.

Sam laughed. "It's kind of true. Bobby took care of us a lot as kids." Maria smiled and Sam started eating his breakfast. "Did you ever have a pseudo parent as a kid?" he asked.

"Yeah, there was this older woman that Mom would leave us with every once in a while. She was twice my mom's age. I saw her as a grandma. She died a long time ago though." Maria said and Sam nodded. "So…" Maria drawled awkwardly. "Why did decide to contact me now?" she asked as she propped her tired feet up on one of the other chairs.

"Lilith's trail went cold and I had some downtime, so I decided to come see you. Find out how my niece or nephew was doing." He said as they both finished their omelets and moved to the sink to wash his dishes. "Do you know the gender yet?"

"Well, he or she is doing fine and no. I was supposed to find out the gender at my last visit, but the baby is totally gender blocking me." Maria said with a smile as she too moved from the table to tend to the dishes. As she put her cup into the dishwater Sam's hand, searching in the bubbly water for the sponge, grazed the top of hers. A surge of lust shot through her body and she jerked her hand back.

Sam grabbed her hand thinking he had somehow hurt her. "Hey are you okay?" He asked in a rush.

"Yeah I'm fine." Sam, seeing that she was okay, gathered her hands and sandwiched them between his. She stared at their hands until her eyes moved to meet his. Her heart ached with the need to kiss him, but she resisted. His face gravitated toward hers and before his lips could touch hers she pulled her hands from his and placed them on the edge of the counter as she stared into the sink of soapy water. "Um... I'm…" She started, felling bad for wanting Sam when she was dating someone else.

"I'm sorry. I-" Sam started but he was interrupted when she turned from the sink, threw caution to the wind and pressed her lips to his. He was shocked for a split second, but he quickly recovered.

His hands flew to her head as he kissed her back and threaded his fingers into her hair. Her arms wrapped around his waist to grip his lower back. His teeth nipped at her bottom lip making her pull it back into a smile. He moved his left hand to grip her hip and used his right to grip her hair and pull her head to the side. She moaned when he pressed his lips to her neck and started kissing it.

He turned them and pressed her back into the counter. Water that had splashed into the counter from the sink soaked into the back of her shorts, but she didn't care. One of her legs wrapped around the back of his and he picked her up and set her on the counter. Her legs wrapped completely around him now and one of his hands gripped her outer thigh, close to her butt, while the other stayed in her hair. Her hands traveled up to grip each side of his neck. As they made out both felt as if they couldn't get enough of each other.

He had started to take off her shirt when they heard the front door slam shut. She quickly pulled back from Sam and looked over his shoulder to see a pissed Dylan standing in her living room. "Um…" she said as she pushed Sam back and hopped down off of the bar. "Dylan I-" she started, but Dylan cut her off.

"Meeting a girl friend huh?" he asked harshly. She opened her mouth to speak, but he didn't give her a chance. "You forgot your paycheck." He said as he walked over and slammed it down onto the table that sat behind her couch. "But it looks to me like you're already getting paid." He said with a mean glare before he gave Sam a once over then headed to the door.

"Did he just call you a hooker?" Sam leaned over and asked her.

"I think he did." She said not looking away from Dylan.

He stopped after he opened the door and looked back at them. "Oh and you're fired." He slammed the door behind him and Maria moved from Sam to sit on the couch and put her head in her hands. Sam didn't say a word as he walked over and sat down next to her.

She took her face from her hands to look at him with a sad face. "Did I forget to mention that I was dating my boss?" she asked.

"Yeah I think you forgot to tell me that." He said with a creased brow and a nod. Maria sighed and threw her head back to rest on the back of the couch. "Hey, it's fine, don't worry about it." he laughed as he reached over and rubbed her shoulder.

"I just cheated on my boyfriend, Sam. That's not the kind of person I am, I don't do stuff like that. So, please, tell me why I shouldn't worry." She said as she stood up and started pacing the floor.

He walked over and grabbed her shoulders, stopping her pacing. "Because you've got me now." He said with a bright smile.

She scoffed and shook her head. "Winchester and cocky go hand in hand doesn't it?" she asked as she walked around him and into the kitchen to finished washing the dishes. "I've got you now, but what about tomorrow or next week for that matter?" she asked. "Are you just gonna ditch me again as soon as you pick back up on Lilith's trail?" she ranted the whole time she washed and rinsed the dishes.

She had just finished washing the last dish when Sam walked up and grabbed her hands in his, stilling her hasty movements. "I'm not going anywhere." He said.

She rolled her eye. "You are a hunter and I'm an expecting mom. I'm not uprooting myself again and you're not gonna stop hunting." She said as took her hands from his just long enough to intertwine her fingers with his long ones.

"I promise you I won't drop off the face of the earth again." He said as he brushed his thumbs over hers. "I'll keep in touch." He said with a small smile.

"You damn well better." She said giving into him again. "Or you won't get a second chance next time." She warned before she let go of his hands and headed to the living room.

"I'm sure that's not true." He said as he followed her.

She plopped down on the couch and turned on the tv before she lifted one hand and said "Winchester." Then held up the other and said "Cocky." Then she clapped her hands together and gave him a pointed look.

He just laughed and sat down next to her on the couch. "So what are we watching?" he asked.

"NCIS." She answered before she looked at him to see that he wasn't looking at the tv. "Okay, you're obviously not interesting in the show." She smiled as she moved to straddle his lap. His lips caught hers as he picked her up and started to walked her to the bedroom, then he realized he didn't know where the bedroom was. She broke the kiss long enough to whisper "Down the hall to the left." Into his ear then she started kissing his neck.

The next morning she woke up to find that Sam wasn't in bed with her. The first thought that crossed her mind was that he had bailed on her again. But then the smell of coffee hit her nose and Sam walked in with a tray in his hand. "Sam…" she sighed as she sat up and he placed the tray in her lap. A bowl of shredded wheat cereal topped with blueberries and a side of toast was on the try along with a cup of coffee.

"Consider this my way of sucking up." she said as he moved around the bed and pushed the black and white comforter to the side before he sat down. "I would have made blueberry pancakes, but Dean always did all the cooking before you came along so…"

"No, it's fine. I love it. Thank you." Maria said with a smile before she leaned over and kissed him. She was taking a bite of her cereal when he picked up the cup of coffee and started drinking it.

He left that evening to try to pick up Lilith's trail. In the weeks that followed Sam stopped by when he could and called her every day as promised. Maria got a job at a cocktail bar as an entertainer. The income wasn't great, but hey, that's what credit card scams where for.


	25. Chapter 25

**Sleeping With The Ally**

**Chapter 25:** Lazarus Rising

September 18th. Two days short of 30 weeks pregnant.

It was 12:00 at night and the tv played the dvd menu music of NCIS repeatedly. Maria was fast asleep, having fallen asleep during the show with a bowl of popcorn resting on her plump belly. While her body was calm, her eyes danced behind her eyelids as they watched the nightmare playing through her unconscious mind. She was having another Dean nightmare. She hadn't stopped having them since he died. Most of the time her nightmares were of him strung up by hooks and chains, but for the past week the nightmares had changed. All she could see was Dean laying somewhere dark as he gasped for breath and a bright, blood red light flashed in his face.

When someone knocked on her door she jerked awake with a gasp and the bowl of popcorn was sent flying through the air. The little yellow dots scattered across the hardwood floor and the bowl landed upside down in front of the tv stand. She cursed under her breath and the popcorn crunched under her brightly socked feet as she made her way to the door. She was half asleep and not thinking about who was on the other side as she pulled the door open. It wouldn't have been a surprise to see Sam, but it was Bobby standing next to him that made alarm bells go off in her head and pull her to complete consciousness. "Bobby?" she asked with a curiosity cocked head.

"Hey ya, Maria." He greeted with a crooked smile.

Sure they talked regularly, but it felt like it had been forever since she had seen him, so she stepped forward and gave him a quick, tight hug."No offense, but what the heck are y'all doing here?" she asked, not moving from the door to let them inside.

"We uh… have some news for you." Sam spoke up.

"You gonna make us stand out here all night?" Bobby asked.

"Oh, uh, of course not. Come on inside." She said as she stepped aside and motioned them in. "What's the news? Not bad I hope." She commented, but she knew that if Bobby was here then it probably wasn't good. She led them into the living room.

"Uh, you might want to sit down." Sam motioned her to the couch and she sat.

"What's goin' on? You're scaring me." she asked as Sam sat down next to her.

"Well, you're probably gonna call us crazy and you might freak out, but I want you to-" Sam started.

"Oh, for peat's sake, Sam." Bobby cut him off then looked at Maria. "Dean's alive."

Maria's jaw slacked and it felt as if her breath was caught in her throar as she started at Bobby. "Bobby." Sam scolded him.

The older man shrugged his shoulders and asked "What?"

"I was trying not to shock her." Sam argued.

"The father of her baby is alive. It's gonna be a shock no matter how you sugar coat it." Bobby argued, but Maria hadn't heard anything after the words "Dean's alive."

"_Dean's alive?"_ she thought to herself. _"I watched him be buried, he was torn to shreds… how could he be alive? I don't believe it."_ She didn't say a word as she got up off of the couch and went to the kitchen. She pulled a silver flask with a cross on it out of the cabinet and tossed it to Bobby. "Drink. Now."

"What? You think I'm possessed?" he asked just looking at her.

"You show up at my apartment in the middle of the night, and expect me to believe otherwise?" she asked and Bobby shrugged before he unscrewed the cap and took a swig. Nothing happened and he passed the flask to Sam.

Sam gave Mia a questioning look and she motioned for him to drink. "Are you kidding me Maria?" he asked and she shook her head, a hard look on her face. "But I have the tattoo, you know it's me." Why he was arguing he didn't know, maybe he thought she trusted him more than that.

"Skin can be broken, Sam. Just drink it." she said flatly and Sam took a big swig. Nothing happened to him either and he screwed the cap back on before he tossed it back to her. Now that she was sure they were them she walked back over to the couch and sat down. Sam sat next to her. "So you two are telling me that Dean is alive?" She asked and Sam nodded. "I just can't believe it." she said with a creased brow, trying to figure out how it was possible for Dean to be alive when Sam had tried everything he could to get his brother back.

"Well you better started believing it, because it's true." Her heart stopped when she heard Dean's voice behind her and she turned to see him standing in her doorway. Her feet and heartbeat took on a mind of their own as she ran full speed at him. She threw her arms around his torso as her body slammed into his. He wrapped his arms around her shoulder holding her even tighter than she was holding him. Her face was imbedded in his warm neck and his was buried in her now short waves.

The embrace lasted for over two minutes and when they pulled back from each other his lips caught hers, not caring who was watching. The moment his lips touched hers she felt more at home than she had in a long time. As this feeling rushed over her, guilt trailed not far behind. As the passionate kiss broke, the tidal wave of emotions washed through her head causing her to dizzily sway from side to side.

Dean caught her as she pressed her hand to her head. "Whoa, Baby, you okay?" he asked. Her heart skipped a beat at hearing him call her baby again. She had missed that voice so much…

She nodded, not being able to look at him. How would he react when he found out that she and Sam were together now? "I think I just need to sit down." She said shakily and Dean led her over to the couch.

Sam had seen the kiss and felt a pang of jealousy shoot through his chest. Maria was with him now, but he had a feeling that she wouldn't be for long. Maria had always been head over heels for his brother. Now that Dean was back she would forget all about Sam and go back to Dean.

After Dean helped her sit down, he joined her. She still wasn't looking at him, but when he placed his hand on her stomach and spread his finders out to feel as much as he possibly could her teary eyes met his bright green ones. "I…How?" she asked, her foggy brain clearing enough to asked some of the many questions that were bouncing around in her head.

"I don't know." Dean answered and he couldn't help using his free hand to tuck a messy lock of hair out of her still shocked looking face. "I know you probably wouldn't, but you didn't…?" Dean couldn't finish the question.

"Make a deal?" she asked and he nodded. "No" she answered with a shake of her head. All of a sudden it hit her that Sam could have finally convinced a crossroads demon to trade his sole for his brothers, but it didn't dawn on her that Dean had probably already covered that possibility. She jumped up off of the couch and went to Sam who was leaning against the wall next to the TV. She placed her hands on his chest making him look down at her. "Please tell me you didn't do anything stupid?" her eyes begged even more than her voice did.

"He didn't." She heard Bobby say behind her. A sigh of relief escaped her lips as he head fell forward to rest on Sam's chest. Dean noticed when Sam's big hands moved to hold her waist. _Getting a little too touchy feely there aren't you Sam?_ He thought to himself as he stood and tucked his hands into his pockets.

Maria didn't stay in the light embrace with Sam for long before she headed back over to stand across from Dean. "So you have no idea how you got top side?" she asked.

"Nope, not a clue." Dean said before he turned to the side and started to raise his black shirt sleeve. "Well, other than this." he showed her the handprint shaped blister on his left shoulder. Her face contorted in pain as if she could feel the pain it and she lifted her hand to touch it. "and the fact that it looked like an atom bomb went off over my grave." He added.

Instead of touching the burn like she wanted to, she reached up and cupped his cheek in her hand. "I thought I'd never see you again." It felt like stupid words to say, but as she looked from Dean to Sam then back at Dean she knew they needed to be said.

Bobby nudged Sam, getting his attention then nodded to the door. Sam didn't want to go and leave Maria alone with his brother, but he knew he had to. So he followed Bobby to the door and left the couple alone.

Mia smiled as Dean's hands slid over her stomach, cupping each side of it. "How's little Winchester cooking?" he asked.

She hesitantly left him to go to the hall closet and pull out a grey book with large yellow and white polka dots on it. On the front was an oval frame that held her first sonogram picture. "See for yourself." She said as she handed him the book and he moved to sit on the couch while he looked at it.

They sat on the couch for what felt like forever as they flipped through the pictures of the few sonograms. Each page held a few fun facts about each week of her pregnancy and how the baby was growing and changing. "So do you know the gender?" he asked as he closed the book and sat it on the coffee table.

"No. I decided that I don't want to know until it gets here." She explained as she rested one of her hands on her belly. "But if _you_ want to know, there's an envelope in the back of the book with the results in it."

She watched as he picked up the book and flipped to the back of the book. The envelope fell out into his lap and he picked it up to stare at it. He thought about it for a minute before he said, "I don't think I wanna know." He looked up at her with a smile as he tucked the envelope back into the book. He sat it on the table before he reached out and laid his hand on hers.

His calloused hand on hers caused her heart to leap, but dread followed not far behind it and her heart suddenly felt heavy. "Dean's there's something I have to tell you." she started, but was cut off when Bobby and Sam came back inside.

"If we're gonna go see this psychic we better get goin'." Bobby said, not coming inside fully.

Dean looked at Mia. "What were you gonna say?"

Maria looked at Sam, her eyes telling him what she was about to tell Dean. "Nothing, it's not important." She waved him off as she stood from the couch and went to Bobby and Sam. "You boys better get goin'."

"You wanna come with us?" Dean asked. She bit her lip in thought. Would it be safe? Could she be around both Sam and Dean without feeling like she was about to implode? "Come on, a small field trip won't hurt you will it?" he asked as he walked over to her and placed his hands on her hips with a smile on his face that Mia couldn't say no to.

"Okay, I'll go." She sighed, knowing it would probably be safer to stay here, but Dean was back from the dead. She wasn't going to stay away from him. A visit to a psychic couldn't hurt her or the baby. When Dean pulled her into a hug, she looked over his shoulder at Sam. She could tell by the look on his face, that he didn't like what he was seeing, but what was she supposed to do? Reject Dean? That wasn't an option.

It was still night time when they left her place. "She's about six hour's down the interstate." Bobby said as they got to the parking lot. "Try to keep up." he said as he climbed into his car.

"I assume you'll wanna drive?" Sam asked before he tossed his brother the keys.

"Oh ho ho oh. I almost forgot." Dean said as he walked over to the impala. "Hey, sweetheart, you miss me?" he asked the car as he got in the driver's seat. Mia rolled her eyes, sometimes he talked sweeter to his car than he did to her, but only sometimes. He sighed contently as Mia slid into the passenger side. He leaned across the seat to cup Mia's cheek in his hand and give her a light kiss. "I missed all three of my baby's." he said with a smile as he rubbed her stomach. But his smile fell when he leaned away from her and his eyes landed on the ipod hooked up to the stereo. "What the hell is that?" he asked with a flat look over the seat at Sam.

"That's an ipod jack." He stated with a smile, Mia laughed. While Dean loved cassettes, she was a fan of mp3 players.

"You were supposed to take care of her not douche her up." Dean stated aggravated.

"Dean I thought it was my car." Sam said receiving an eye roll from Dean.

When he started the car Jason Manns' "Vision" blared through the speakers. "Really?" he asked his brother over the seat and Sam just shrugged. Dean unplugged the ipod before tossing it over the seat to Sam. Mia just smiled as she disconnected the excess wires and handed them to Sam. Her hand brushed his in the process and they made eye contact. She wasn't surprised to see his face harden from laughing at his brother to give her a hard look. She pulled her hand away and shrunk back into the front seat. Was he mad at her?

* * *

Mia was sleeping with her head on Dean's thigh when she was woken up by the boy's conversation. "I thought Lilith was gonna kill you." she heard Dean say.

"She tried, she couldn't." Sam answered and Dean asked what he was talking about. "She fired this, like, burning light at me and… it didn't leave a scratch, like I was immune or something."

"Immune?" Dean asked.

"Yeah, I don't know who was more surprised, her or me. She left pretty fast after that." It was quiet for a second while Dean thought.

She had faced the seat while she slept, so she could clearly see Sam where he rested his head on the seat to talk to his brother. He looked down at her when he noticed her eyes were open. She smiled at him sheepishly, wondering what she was gonna do about the mess she had gotten herself into, but he looked away. "Where's that bitch Ruby at these days?" she asked, making Dean jump. He didn't know she was awake.

"Dead, or in hell." Sam answered simply.

"So you've been using your freaky ESP stuff?" Dean asked. Now that Mia was awake, Dean rested his hand on her head and absentmindedly played with her hair. Mia found it to be extremely relaxing. Sam gave Dean a negative answer. "You sure about that?" Dean asked. "I mean, now that you've got immunity or whatever the hell that is. Just wondering what other kind of weirdo crap you got goin' on."

"Nothing, Dean." Sam said. "Look, you didn't want me to go down that road, so I didn't go down that road. It was practically your dying wish."

"Yeah, well, let's keep it that way." Dean said and she thought the conversation was going to die down after that.

But Sam looked down at her before he turned his attention back to his brother. "Have you asked Maria what she's been up to?" Sam asked and Mia sat up to glare at him. He couldn't seriously be doing this now.

"Yeah, she's been living there and singing at a lounge. She can't use her freaky ESP stuff because of Little Mia" Dean answered and Sam snorted. "You know something I don't?" he asked with an aggravated look over the seat at his brother.

"She didn't tell you she was dating someone?" Sam asked and Dean noticed the look that Mia gave Sam silently telling him to shut up.

"No…" he drawled making Mia give him a sheepish look. "Mia?"

"Well, remember when you asked me to find a good man a settle down?" she asked as she sat up and adjusted her seatbelt. Dean hummed out a positive answer. "I found a good guy and I've been seeing him for about two months now."

"Really?" Dean asked, looking at her before he turned his eyes back to the road.

"Yes, I just didn't want to say anything until I figured out where you and I stood now that you're…back." She said as she looked over the seat at Sam then at Dean.

"Do you love him?" Dean asked without thinking about how the question would affect her.

"That's a hard question to answer." She said as she tried to swallow the not in her throat.

"It's not a hard question, Mia. You either love the guy or you don't." he didn't sound mad…just exhausted.

"I don't know, Dean. I've only been dating him for a few months." Mia wasn't able to hide her confusion.

"But you've known him for longer than that." Sam piped up.

In her confused and flustered state Mia turned in her seat to yell at Sam. "Would you shut up?! You're not helping."

"Whoa, Mia lay off." Dean said trying to calm her, but it didn't work.

"No, Dean, I'm not gonna lay off. It's not fair for you to ask me if I love this guy. I wasn't expecting you to rise from the dead like some zombie. You asked me to move on, you wanted me to find love again and I did. So yes, I do love him." Maria's eyes went to Sam, giving him a pointed look before she looked back at Dean with watery eyes. "But I also still love you." she placed her fingertips on each of her temples and messaged them for a second. "I don't know what either of you want from me right now." She sighed. Dean took one of his hands off of the steering wheel to take hers in his.

Sam now saw the intense confusion that had been swirling around in her since the moment she laid eyes on Dean. He understood that she was being ripped in half by her feelings for both of them. She hadn't forgotten her feelings for him like he had initially thought she would.

Dean saw that she was torn, and it almost made him wish that he never asked Sam where she was. Was she better off without him in her life? If he hadn't shown up would she be happy right now? Happy with whoever _he_ was. Dean knew he could make her happy under the right circumstances, but he also knew that the people closest to him usually ended up getting hurt. He didn't want to do that to Mia, but the thought of another man raising his child made his stomach churn and kept him from voicing his thoughts.

When she slipped her hand from his, he looked from the road to her to see that she was sitting there with her hands folded over her stomach as she stared out of the passenger side window. Her reflection in the wet glass was clear and he could see that her brows were creased and tears slid down her cheek. He glanced back at Sam to see his big frame was leaning sleepily against the passenger side door, staring out the window was well.

But what Dean couldn't see was that Sam had reached between the seat and the door and was rubbing Maria's arm comfortingly. So when Dean reached over and placed a hand on Mia's neck and rubbed just under her ear with his thumb she couldn't look at him. Instead the sensation of both of them comforting her made her tears fall harder. _"What am I gonna do?"_ she thought to herself as she squeezed her eyes shut.

* * *

Mia had fallen asleep leaning against the door, but when she woke up it was to Dean sliding his leg out from under her head. "Hey sleepy head." Dean said with a smile when he saw her sit up and stretch. "Want anything from inside?" he asked as he helped her stand up. She looked around, squinting into the bright morning sun to see that they were the only car there.

"Funyuns and water please." Mia asked as she stretched again.

"Sure thing." Dean kissed her before he banged on the roof of the car waking Sam.

Sam sat up with a yawn and glared at his brother. "What the hell Dean?" he asked groggily.

"Fill her up for me would ya?" Dean asked before he headed inside the store.

Maria took the opportunity to stretch her legs and walked around the car a bit. She stopped walking when she came to the rear of the car where Sam was pumping gas. "What was that last night?" she asked still sounding a bit sleepy.

"Nothing." Sam answered flatly not looking away from the rolling number on the pump.

"I'm sorry, Sam." She didn't know exactly what she was apologizing for, but she still felt the need to.

"You don't have to be sorry." Sam said as he pulled the nozzle out of the tank.

"Sam…" Maria said softly and when he turned back to put the cap back on the tank she grabbed his hand making him look at her.

He just looked at her for a second before he saw his brother walk out of the store and he took his hand from hers. Thankfully Dean was digging around in the plastic sack and hadn't seen them. "You don't have to explain yourself. You and Dean are a family and I'm your baby's uncle. You love him, I get it." he whispered as he tightened the gas cap and walked around to the passenger side of the car.

Mia followed and opened her mouth to say that she loved Sam too, but when she looked up she saw that Dean was close enough to hear. So she closed her mouth. When Dean got close he tossed her bag of Funyuns and bottle of water over the roof of the car. "Okay, let's get back on the road before Bobby gets too far ahead of us." Dean said before he climbed into the driver's seat.

With Dean out of eye and earshot Sam gave her a sad smile as he reached out and tucked a lock of her hair clumsily behind her ear. "It's okay, be happy with him, I'll get over it eventually." Mia sighed and ran her fingers through her hair before she opened the front passenger door and slid in. She slid to the middle of the seat and laid her head to the side to reset on Dean's shoulder. She ended up falling asleep like that.

* * *

When Mia woke up it was to Dean lightly tickling her side. "Hey, we're here." He said when he saw her eyes open.

She sat up with a grunt then looked out the passenger side window. A white two story house sat in front of her. "Here being the psychic's house?" she asked.

"Yep." Dean said before he got out and ran around the car to open her door for her. She smiled at him as she slid out. "How did you sleep? I can't imagine it was comfortable." He asked with his eyes on her rounded stomach.

"You know, it actually wasn't that bad. I kinda missed sleeping in cars." She said as she placed her hands on his sides and pulled him as close as her bump would allow. "Especially when I have you as my pillow." She gave him a flirty smile and leaned in for a kiss.

Their lips had only been touching for a few seconds when a female voice saying "Bobby!" and laughing pulled their attention elsewhere. They turned their heads to see an attractive brunette hugging Bobby. So hand in hand they headed over to the white porch. "So are these the boys?" she asked and Mia couldn't help noticing the way Pamela gave the boys a once over with her eyes. Only after checking the boys out did Pamela notice Mia standing between them, closer to Dean. "And who's the chick sporting the baby bump?" Mia sometimes hated that the first thing people noticed was her stomach.

"Sam, Maria, Dean this is Pamela Barns. Best damn psychic in the state." Bobby introduced them and when Pam looked at her again, Mia hugged Dean's arm and smiled.

Pam looked and Dean and Sam then hummed before she looked at Bobby who gave her a warning look. Pam just laughed before she looked back at Dean. "Dean Winchester. Out of the fire and back in the frying pan, huh? Makes you a rare individual."

"If you say so." Dean answered.

Pam turned her eyes to Maria. "You're one lucky girl."

"Don't I know it." Mia said with a laugh that only Dean and Sam could tell was totally fake.

Pamela smile and jerked her head to the house. "Come on in." Bobby asked her if she had heard anything from anyone about what had pulled Dean out of the pit. "Well, I Ouija'd my way through a dozed spirits. No one seems to know who broke your boy out or why."

"So now what do we do?" Maria asked from where she still stood holding Dean's arm, now just out of the need to touch him.

"A séance, I think." Pamela answered before she looked to Bobby and Dean. "See if we can see who did the deed.

"You're not gonna summon the damn thing here?" Bobby asked Pamela before he took a quick glance at Maria's stomach.

"No. I Just wanna get a sneak peek at it. Like a crystal ball without the crystal." Pamela said as she walked between Dean and Bobby, tickling Bobby as she walked by.

"I'm game." Dean said as they all followed Pamela into a darkly decorated room with a round table in the center.

Pam had just put a black table cloth on the table when Maria smiled at her getting her attention. "Is this gonna be safe for me?" she asked as she placed a hand on her rounded belly. "I don't wanna be part of something that could hurt the baby."

"Don't worry, you'll be perfectly safe." Pamela assured Maria before she moved he kneel down at a cabinet.

"Mia had already taken a seat at the table, not wanting to be on her feet, when she saw Dean looking down at Pamela. He nudged Sam and nodded toward the older woman. "Who's Jesse?" Dean asked and if Mia were near him she would have hit him.

Pamela laughed at his question. "Well, it wasn't forever." She turned to him with some candles in her hands.

"His loss." Dean said and Mia knew that Dean was just being Dean…

But then Pamela stood up, looked Dean up and down and said, "Might be your gain." Maria couldn't help but scoff.

"Um, Hello?" Maria asked with a look of disbelief at the woman who just sat the candles on the table.

"You two are invited too." Pam gave both Sam and Mia a wink before she walked out of the room.

"You are not invited." Dean said as he pointed at his brother before he turned to Mia with an up to no good boyish grin on his face.

"You can have all the dirty thoughts you want Dean, but it's not happening." Mia said as she leaned back in the chair and crossed her arms over her chest.

"Thought you couldn't read minds anymore." He said as he took a seat next to her and rested his arm across the back of her chair.

"I can't, but I know you well enough to know what's going on in that stupid, dirty, little mind of yours." She said before Pamela, Bobby and Sam took their seats at the table cutting off their conversation. Dean still gave her a shit eating grin.

Things got quiet as Pamela lit the candles in the center of the table. "Alright, take each other's hands." Pamela instructed so Maria took Dean's right hand before she looked over at Sam who hesitantly laid his left hand in her waiting right one. When their eyes met she couldn't help when the memory of them making out in bed flashed through her head. She gave him a small sheepish smile before she turned her attention to her hand in Dean's. So after Sam had grabbed Bobby's hand and Bobby held Pamela's, Mia looked at Dean's other hand to see that he wasn't holding Pamela's hand and her hand that should be holding his was under the table. "And I need to touch something our mystery monster touched."

A split second later Dean jumped, his knee hit the underside of the table. "Whoa!" Dean looked at Mia apologetically before he turned his dumbfounded eyes to Pamela. "Well, he didn't touch me there."

Maria gave Pamela a death glare that could have set her head on fire. But Pamela just laughed. "My mistake."

"Uh huh, sure." Mia said under her breath. Only Dean and Sam heard it. Dean gave her another apologetic look before he let go of her hand to take off the left sleeve of his button up shirt and lifted the sleeve of his t shirt up to show Pamela the handprint shaped blister.

When Pamela placed her hand on Dean's shoulder he grabbed Mia's hand again and put his other hand on top of Bobby and Pamela's hands to complete the circle. Pamela looked at them all before she closed her eyes and they all did the same. "I invoke, conjure and command you, appear unto me before this circle. I invoke, conjure and command you, appear unto me before this circle." She repeated the words and to Mia it sounded a little cliché so she peeked to see if Pamela was playing some kind of joke on them. When she looked toward Dean she saw that he was peeking too. The look on his face said he was thinking the same thing Mia was, but then the TV clicked on and the table started to shake.

"Turn back, now." Mia heard a gravely whisper and she looked around the room, wondering if anyone else had heard it too. But no one else seemed to hear it.

"What are you?" Mia whispered, making Dean look at her curiously.

"My name is Castiel and if your friend knows what's good for her she will turn back, now." His gravelly voice was now loud and clear. He yelled the last word, making Mia flinch. Dean nudged her getting her attention. She looked at him to see him looking at her through slotted eyes.

"Castiel?" Pam stopped repeating the usual words to say a name. "No. Sorry Castiel, I don't scare easy." Pam said to whatever monster she was talking to.

"Castiel?" Dean asked.

"It's name. It's whispering to me, warning me to turn back." Pamela explained. Whispering to her? If Maria had heard right Castiel was yelling at Pamela, not whispering.

Dean looked at Mia and they stared into each other's eyes as Pamela started repeating her séance.

The table started shaking more and a loud ringing radiated around the room, but Mia couldn't' hear it. "I'm warning you, do not gaze upon my true visage." She heard the gravelly voice warn Pamela.

Mia looked away from Dean to see that Bobby and Sam had also opened their eyes. Bobby saw the scared look on not just Maria's, but everyone's faces. "Maybe we should stop." He suggested.

"I almost got it." she said. "I command you, show me your face. Show me your face now." She yelled.

"You have been warned." The voice sounded defeated before the flames of the candles burst up and Pamela started screaming. A bright, pure white light shot out of Pamela's now open and bleeding eyes. As she stopped screaming and fell to the floor the candle flames returned to normal.

"Call 911." Bobby said as they all stood from their chairs. Sam ran for the phone while Bobby and Dean went to Pamela's side. Mia stood right where she was. She stared down at the woman, but wasn't thinking about her. She was thinking about the voice that only she could hear clearly. Pamela started crying and saying she couldn't see, but Maria still just stood there. Dean looked up from Pamela to see that Mia was looking at her, but as he studied her it seemed more like she was staring through her instead of at her.

"Mia, you alright?" he asked, worried about her and the baby.

Mia shook herself out of her thoughts and turned her head to Dean. "Yeah, yeah I'm fine." He didn't believe for one second that she was fine.

* * *

Maria and Dean sat in Johnny Mac's Diner waiting on Sam, who had went outside to call Bobby, to come back in. "What were you talking to in there?" Dean asked Mia as he grabbed the seat of her chair and pulled her a little closer to him.

"I don't know, Dean. I don't even know how I could hear it. All I know is that its name is Castiel, he was warning Pamela not to look at his _true visage_, whatever that means" she said with a creeped out look on her face, "and he has the kind of voice that makes me want to clear my throat when I hear him talk." She took a deep breath when she was done ranting and eased it out as she brushed a lock of short, highlighted hair out of her face. "I want to understand it as much as you do."

"Maybe it's because of your freaky mind reading stuff." He suggested, not looking up from his menu. She knew how much he probably missed food while he was in hell.

"Yeah, but I thought all of that was gone because of the baby." She said and they saw Sam heading over to the table they let the conversation go.

"So how's Pamela doing, is she okay?" Mia asked.

"Pam's stable and out of ICU." Sam answered as he slid into the booth and snapped his phone shut.

"And blind because of us." Dean said and Mia reached over and grabbed his hand.

"We still have no clue what we're dealing with." Sam said.

"That's not entirely true." Dean countered.

"No?" Sam asked.

"We've got a name. Castiel or whatever." Dean said, leaning over the table to keep the conversation between the three of them. "With the right mumbo jumbo we can summon him, bring him right to us."

"I could hear him during the séance. He spoke to me, told me that if Pam knew what was good for her she would turn back." Mia spoke up, not wanting to hold anything back from Sam. "I could help you guys out with this,but…" she looked down at her hand that was resting on her stomach.

"You're crazy, absolutely not. We are NOT summoning that thing." Sam said to Dean and Mia mentally sighed. Sam didn't make a big thing out of her being able to hear Castiel.

"We'll work him over. I mean after what he did?" Dean started.

"Pam took a peek at him and her eyes burned out of her skull. And you wanna have a face to face? You wanna put your child and girlfriend in that kind of danger?" Sam asked.

"I won't be putting her in danger because she will be in the hotel, taking every precaution necessary to protect herself and our kid. So do you have a better idea?" Dean asked.

"Yeah, as a matter of fact I do. I followed some demons to town, right?" Sam asked and Dean replied. "So we go find them. Someone's gotta know something about something." Sam finished.

The waitress walked up and sat three plates of pie down before she took a seat in the fourth chair at the table. She looked at them all with a little smirk. "Uh…can we help you with something?" Mia asked.

"Yeah, you angling for a tip?" Dean asked.

"I'm sorry, I thought you were looking for us." The brunette waitress said before her eyes turned black and she scanned the three of them. When Mia saw a guy get up from the bar she noticed that he and everyone else in the place had black eyes too. The guy that got up, went to the front door and locked it. "Dean…" The female demon said with a sarcastic smile. "To hell and back. Aren't you a lucky duck?"

"That's me." Dean said not taking his eyes off of the demon.

"So you get to just stroll out of the pit? Tell me, what makes you so special?" the female demon asked.

"I like to think it's because of my perky nipples." Dean smarted off and Mia felt like hitting him. "I don't know. It wasn't my doing. I don't know who pulled me out." He said getting serious

"Right, you don't." The female demon said as if she didn't believe him.

"No, I don't." Dean said sternly.

"Lying is a sin, you know." The female demon said.

Dean just started at her. "I'm not lying." He said with the slightest of head shakes. The demon looked at both Mia and Sam to see that they were staring at her just as intensely as Dean. "But I'd like to find out, so if you wouldn't mind enlightening me, Flo…" Dean said almost sarcastically.

"Mind your tone with me, Boy. I'll drag you back to hell myself." She said.

Sam made a move to take on the demon, but Dean stopped him. "No you won't." Dean said.

"No?" The demon asked unbelievingly.

"No. Cause if you were, you'd have done it already. Fact is, you don't know who cut me loose. You're just as spooked as we are and you're looking for answers." Dean said and the demon looked at Sam then Mia to see their reactions to what Dean was saying. "Well, maybe it was some turbo-charged spirit. Hmm? Or Godzilla. Or some big, bad, boss demon. But I'm guessing at your pay grade, that they don't tell you squat. Because whoever it was, they want me out and they're a lot stronger than you. So go ahead, send me back. Don't come crawling to me when they show up on your doorstep with Vaseline and a fire hose." Dean ended with a smile.

"I'm gonna reach down your throat and rip out your lungs." The demon threatened calmly and Dean leaned over to get in her face. He just stared at her for a second before he struck like lightening and slapped her across the face. She slowly flipped her hair out of her face and as soon as she looked at him he hit her again. The demon just sat there, not retaliating in anyway.

"Yeah, that's what I thought." Dean said. He didn't take his eyes off of the demon as he reached over and took Mia's hand. "Let's go." Dean let go of Mia's hand just long enough to toss a twenty on the table, still staring at the demon. "For the pie." Then he looked at Mia and took her hand again as they left the restaurant. The demon that had been standing in front of the door stepped aside and let them out. "Holey crap that was close." Dean said as they made their way to the Impala.

"We're not just gonna leave them in there are we, Dean?" Sam asked.

"Yeah, there's three of them, probably more and we only got one knife between us. Plus a pregnant woman that we need to think about." Dean said as he laid his hand on the small of Mia's back.

"I've been killing more demons than that lately." Sam said peaking Maria's curiosity, but she didn't ask questions.

"Not anymore. The smarter brother's back in town." Dean said as they all walked down the sidewalk.

"Dean, we gotta take them." Sam argued. "They're dangerous."

"Seemed to me like they were scared, too scared to do anything that would bring Winchester wrath down on them." Maria spoke up.

"Yeah, Sam, they're scared of whatever had the juice to pull me out. We're dealing with a bad mofo here. One job at a time." Dean said with a voice of finality as they reached the car and got in.

* * *

Mia and Dean had fallen asleep while doing research, but they were woken up when the tv clicked on, blaring static and the radio turned on. Dean quickly hopped over her and grabbed his sawed off from where it rested on the wall next to the bed. "Mia, stay there." He instructed and she grabbed her pistol off of her nightstand then checked the salt line that circled the demon trap that Dean had drawn under the bed. It was fully intact, so she moved to sit on her knees, ready for what may come.

But as Dean headed to Sam's side of the room that was separated by a wall she heard Castiel's gravelly voice. "Dean, can you hear me?"

"Castiel?" Maria called as she tried to take a peek at Dean on the other side of the room. She could barely see him, holding a hand over his ear. Dean was obviously hearing something that she couldn't.

"I know you can hear me, Maria. I need to know if Dean can." She heard him say.

"Apparently he can't. You're hurting him, please…stop." Maria begged, looking around the room for who or what she was talking to.

"Dean! Can you hear me?" the voice yelled and the next thing Mia knew Dean started yelling, and the mirror that was over the beds shattered, sending shards of glass everywhere. Maria turned onto her hands and knees as she covered her head, but when she sat up and looked around, not a single shard of glass was on the bed or in the demon trap. She got off of the bed, slipped on her shoes and crunched her way to the other side of the room to see that Bobby was with Dean.

* * *

"You mean you didn't hear that loud ringing sound?" Bobby asked and Dean looked at her, waiting for her answer.

"No, all I heard was a voice asking Dean if he could hear him." She explained from where she sat in the back seat or Bobby's car. "It was Castiel, the same voice I heard at the séance." Mia said with a look at Dean.

"So you could hear Castiel at the séance?" Bobby asked and Mia nodded. "I wonder if it has to do with those weird abilities you and Sam have." Bobby thought out loud and she just shrugged. "I mean I thought you lost those when you got pregnant."

"No, not all of them. I can still dream read, or at least I can on Dean." She explained.

"Well, regardless, I don't want you anywhere near it." Dean said as he dabbed at his ear that had been bleeding with a shop rag.

"And I don't wanna be anywhere near it." Mia agreed before she sighed and reached over the seat to place her hand on his shoulder.

"How you doin' kid?" Bobby asked Dean.

"Aside from the church bells ringing in my head…peachy." Dean answered before he pulled his phone out of his pocket and called Sam. "What are you doin'?" Dean asked. Mia couldn't hear Sam on the other end. "In my car?" Dean asked. "Well, uh, Bobby's back. We're going to grab a beer." Dean lied making them look at him confused. Why didn't he tell Sam what had happened at the hotel? He held up his finger to keep them from asking him that question. "Done. Kay, I'll catch you later."

"Why the hell didn't you tell him?" Bobby asked.

"Yeah, Dean, what gives?" Mia asked as she looked at him over the seat.

"'Cause he'd just try to stop us." Dean answered.

"From what?" Bobby asked.

"Summoning this thing." Dean answered making Mia look at him with a slacked jaw. "It's time we face it head on."

"You can't be serious." Bobby said sounding stunned.

"As a heart attack." Dean answered.

"Dean, didn't you just say that you didn't want me anywhere near this thing, now you're telling me you're gonna summon the damn thing?" Mia asked.

"Yep, which is why you're going to stay at a hotel." He said in all seriousness.

"We don't know what it is. It could be a demon, it could be anything." Bobby argued.

"So then we gotta be ready for anything." Dean said as he pulled the demon blade out of his back pocket. "We've got the big time magic knife. You got an arsenal in the trunk." Dean said as he held up the knife in one hand and the other out to the side, silently asking why not.

"This is a bad idea." Bobby said.

"Yeah, Dean, it's a very bad idea and you expect me to just sit in some hotel room on my ass while you face whatever the hell Castiel is?"

"I couldn't agree more, but what other choice do we have?" Dean asked before he looked back at Mia and softly said "I hate asking you to sit one out, but I-"

"Don't want me around this thing." Mia finished for him. "But I don't want you around it either." She said.

"Whatever this is, whatever it wants, it's after me. That much we know, right?" Dean asked, rhetorically. "Well, I got no place to hide. I can either get caught with my pants down again and you unprotected," he looked at Mia before he looked back at Bobby, "or we can make our stand." Dean said.

"Dean, we could use Sam for this." Bobby reasoned.

"No, he's better off where he is." Dean said and they let the subject fall.

They dropped Mia off at a hotel ten minutes from where they were going to summon Castiel to. She made a salt line and a demons trap around the bed before she grabbed her pistol and made herself comfortable. After an hour of waiting, Dean called her. "Hey Baby." Dean said with a serious voice and she told him hey back. "Alright, I got Mia on speaker phone, let's ring the dinner bell." Dean said to Bobby. She had made them promise that since she couldn't be there that they would call her and at least let her hear what was going on. She soon heard Bobby speaking Latin in the background. She listened quietly for a few minutes before she spoke up. "Dean, what's happening?" she asked curiously.

"Nothing so far." Dean said to her before he turned to Bobby. "Are you sure you did the ritual right?" Bobby didn't say anything, but going off of Dean's response of "Sorry, touchy, touchy." Bobby had given him one of his looks.

A few seconds later she heard what sounded like rattling tin. "Guy's what's happening?" she asked, but when she didn't receive a response she assumed it was because they were on the defense.

"Wishful thinking, but maybe it's just the wind." She heard Dean say over the loud rattling. Soon after, she heard what sounded like lights blowing and seconds after that she heard several rounds of gunfire. "Who are you?" Dean asked when all the light's had blown and the rattling of the tin roof stopped.

"I'm the one who gripped you tight and raised you from perdition." She heard the now familiar voice of Castiel say.

"Yeah, thanks for that." Dean said sarcastically. When she heard him grunt then the squishy sound of a blade being stabbed into flesh, she knew that someone had stabbed someone, but who stabbed who? Seconds later she heard an scuffling sounds, but couldn't tell what was going on.

"We need to talk, Dean." Castiel's rough voice was loud and clear on the phone now. "Alone." That was the last thing she heard before Castiel snapped Dean's phone shut and the call ended.

"Son of a bitch." She cursed as she threw her phone onto the bed.

* * *

"Wait, so you're telling me that an angle pulled you from the pit?" Mia asked with one hand on her hip while she used the other to talk. She sat down on the bed needing to get off of her feet.

"That's what he said he was, but I don't believe it." Dean said and Mia looked from him to Bobby so see him shrug at her. "I mean the thing just touched Bobby and he passed out. Does that sound like an angel to you?" Dean asked as he paced in front of the bed that she was sitting on before he sat down next to her.

"Not really, but I've never met an angel before." She sighed as she ran her hand through her hair. "So where do we go from here?" She asked with a look between the two men.

"I don't know." Dean sighed before he looked at her to see she looked really tired. "I bet you wanna get home though huh." He asked more than stated and she nodded. He placed his hand on her lower back before he stood and grabbed her bag off of the floor. "Let's get goin then." He walked out of the door leaving her and Bobby to follow.

Bobby dropped them off at her apartment building. Dean had called Sam and told him to meet him at Bobby's house. "So do I get you meet your boyfriend?" Dean asked as he dropped her bag by her couch and sat down.

"You've met him before." She said as she grabbed her bag off of the floor and went to her bedroom.

"I have?" Dean asked as he followed her and watched her start packing more clothes into it.

"Yes, but who he is doesn't matter, because we're not together anymore." Her heart ached as she words left her mouth.

"Okay." The word sounded more like a question. He walked over a stilled her movements. "So what are we gonna do about the baby?" Dean asked and she stopped to look at him. "Before I died you said that we would cross the bridge when we came to it. Well, we're to it."

"I don't, know. I mean, before you popped back up I had every intention of settling here and raising our baby alone, but now you're alive and all of my plans are shot to hell." she started putting things into another duffel bag.

"You said that you didn't want to tell me about this other guy until you knew where we stood with each other. So, where do we stand?" he asked as he grabbed her hand stopping her movements.

"I don't know…" she sighed. "Where do you want us to stand?" she asked lamely.

"I want you and me and… this baby" he stepped up and placed his hands on each side of her large belly, "to be a family." He answered. She sighed and let her head fall back as she looked at the ceiling. His brows creased at her reaction. "Is that not what you want?"

"No, it is, but… Dean, how is that gonna be possible? I can't travel all over the world with a giant belly and eventually a baby." She had started packing again as she spoke.

"Why not? Musicians and their wives do it all the time." He argued.

She stopped packing to stare at him. "You're serious?" she asked, dumbfounded.

He didn't say anything back so she started packing again. She didn't know where she was planning on going, but she assumed she and Dean would work something out by the time she was done. "Okay, here's my plan. You come with me to Bobby's and help us figure out what this Castiel thing this is and we'll take it one day at a time."

Mia thought about it for a second or two before she nodded in agreement and continued her packing. When she was done Dean picked up her bags and brought them to her car while she returned her apartment key to the land lord and told them to sell whatever was left in the apartment. She had packed everything that was important to her. With that done, they were back on the road again.


	26. Chapter 26

Disclaimer: See Chapter One.

**Sleeping With The Ally**

**Chapter 26**: Are you there God? It's me, Dean Winchester.

Mia's eyes danced behind her eyes lids as she unconsciously watched the nightmare paying in her head. _Dean hung against a scratchy brick wall, bound by red hot chains that were wrapped around his limbs and torso like venomous snakes. The metal constantly burned into his flesh, but he didn't scream out. Instead he clenched his teeth and bore his gaze into the figure standing in front of him. He didn't curse the demon, he knew it was pointless. It would do no good to stop the torture, it wouldn't make it go by any faster. As the figure strode closer it twirled a sharp silver knife in its hands and when it got close enough the knife stopped twirling and was stabbed into Dean's abdomen. Dean's eyes squeezed shut as his mouth opened wide and a pain filled yell escaped._

Maria gasped for air as she sat straight up in bed. When she caught her breath she looked to her left to see that Dean was still fast asleep. So she eased herself out of bed as quietly as her big belly would allow, slipped on a pair of ratty, oversized house shoes and padded her way to the door. When she glanced back at Dean, she saw the rapid movements of his eyes behind his eyelids, heard the tiny pants he was making and knew he was having a nightmare too.

She went down stairs to the kitchen, opened the fridge and grabbed herself a bottle of water. When she turned around she was met by Sam, sitting at the small round table. "Didn't mean to scare you." he said breaking the silence of the night.

"You didn't." she said as she waved him off and sat at the table with a small sigh.

"Couldn't sleep either?" he asked and she shook her head, not meeting his eyes. "Another nightmare?" he asked. His question made her look at him as she nodded. He knew she'd had them ever since Dean died. He had hoped that they would stop now that Dean was back, but it looked like that wouldn't be the case. "The usual dream?" he knew that with her, it helped to talk about it.

"No, this one was…" she trailed off and stared at the table as her eyebrows knit together in thought. "Did you ask Dean if he remembers hell?" she asked as she looked back up at Sam.

"Yeah. He says he doesn't remember anything." Sam stated, his tone suggesting that he didn't believe him.

"I think he's lying." She said as she looked back down at her bottle of water that was being spun in her hands.

"Have you dream snooped on him?" Sam asked gently.

"No, but since he's gotten back…my dream's have changed." She admitted and Sam got up and moved to the chair closer to her. "I'm not snooping on him, but I think I'm still seeing what he's dreaming."

"What do you mean?" Sam prompted.

"Well, when I dream snoop I'm awake and it's like I'm watching an old movie, but this… this happens when I'm asleep and it's like I'm there in his dream, watching what's going on, but no one can see me." she explained.

"So tonight you saw…what?" Sam asked.

Maria opened her mouth to tell him, but stopped herself. "Sam, I feel bad enough for seeing his dreams. I'm not going to tell you Dean's business." She said.

Sam nodded his head, understanding her need for confidentiality. "Yeah, but you said you think Dean is lying about not remembering hell, why?" he asked.

Maria sighed and rubbed her temples. "Because he sure seems to remember it when he's unconscious." She still felt like she had shared too much, but she had to explain herself. Seeing the pained look on her face, Sam reached out and rubber her back, comfortingly. His touch sent a shiver down her spine, but she tried to ignore it and started talking, to distract herself. "I mean, it was horrible, Sam. I feel bad for seeing his dreams… I feel worse seeing what he had to go through while he was there. And I know that what I saw probably wasn't even half of what he had to endure in hell. But the worst part of all of this is I feel stupid and selfish for not wanting to know what he went though." Her rambling had spiraled off into a dark tangent that she hadn't meant for it too and tears had started slipping down her cheeks.

Sam couldn't help but reach out and wipe away her tears "Hey." He whispered as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her into his warm side. "Come 'ere." She tucked her head into his chest out of habit. He let her stay that way for a few seconds before he hooked his finger under her chin, gently making her look at him. "You're not stupid or selfish." She just sniffled and leaned away slightly so that she could look at him more comfortably. "You're human."

"No, Sam, I'm a hunter. I'm supposed be able to deal with all this dark, demented crap." She argued.

Sam shook his head at her. "You're not a hunter right now. You're a hormonal mom-to-be." he smiled at his statement.

She smiled back and let her head fall to the side to land on his left shoulder. Sam lifted his right hand and brushed her messy short waves out of her face before he let his big hand rest on her neck. She basked in the relaxing feel of his warm hand and side for only a minute before she realized that they shouldn't be doing this. It's not his job to comfort her anymore. Dean was back, she should be confiding in him, not Sam. She sat up and finished off her bottle of water before she stood and tossed it into the trash. Sam tossed his beer bottle in the trash from where he still sat at the table. Maria was almost out of the kitchen when she turned back to see Sam staring down at the table looking like he was in deep thought. "Sam," she said getting his attention. He looked at her with raised eyebrows that asked what she wanted. "Thanks for listening." Her feet took on a mind of their own as she walked over to him, placed her hand on his neck and bent down to peck him on the lips. _"Please don't forget how much I love you."_ she thought to herself as she looked into his eyes then walked away.

When she got back up stairs, her mind was still reeling from kissing Sam so she wasn't thinking about Dean still asleep in the bed when she shut the door behind her loudly. Dean's eyes shot open and he was breathing hard. Mia froze hoping he would go back to sleep, but he sat up in bed when he saw her standing near the door. "Hey, what are you doin' up?" he asked groggily.

"Couldn't sleep." She sighed as she walked over to her side of the bed and sat down. Dean wrapped an arm around her lower back as he leaned down and pressed his lips to hers. She smiled into the kiss as he pulled her down into bed with him. It wasn't hard for her to melt into his warm caring arms. As they lay on their sides, Dean pressed warm wet kisses to her neck. She sighed and tilted her head to the side, giving him access to where ever he wanted to kiss or nibble. Without thinking he rolled to lie on top of her. Feeling her belly between them he pulled out of the kiss and looked at her with questioning eyes asking if he'd hurt her. "It's fine, Dean." She assured him as she rolled over so she was on top. He laughed as he cupped her face in his hand and brought her down to kiss him.

Sometime later they both lay flat on their back sweaty and panting. "God, I've missed you." Dean laughed up at the ceiling. Mia rolled onto her side and rested her hand on his stomach.

"I missed you too." She whispered and Dean turned to see her smiling at him.

He rolled onto his side and rested his hand on her stomach. "Didn't shake you about too much did I?" he asked and Mia just shook her head no. "Have you thought of any names?" he asked and she smiled.

"I was wondering if you were going to ask about names." She commented. "I like Victoria Mary for a girl." Dean's face lit up at the use of his mother's name. "and Landon John for a boy." Dean's face crinkled at the boy's name. "What?" she asked.

"Landon?" he asked clearly not liking that name.

"What's wrong with Landon?"

"I don't know. It sounds… stuck up." he admitted, not wanting to hurt her feelings.

"It was my father's name." she admitted and Dean just stared at her. "Okay, what would you name our kid?" she asked with a laugh.

"Ryder or Ruger." He admitted. "Colt maybe?"

"Dean, we aren't naming our son after a gun." Mia laughed.

"Why not?" he asked with a smile as he rubbed her belly.

"Fine, you can name our son Colt if Landon and John are his middle names." She reasoned with him, thinking he wouldn't like the idea of two middle names.

"Deal." He said without a moment's thought. She watched him smile as he felt the baby kick his hand.

* * *

The brothers where arguing in the kitchen, yet again. While Sam sat at the desk near the phones and Mia sat across from him, Dean paced. "All I know is I was not… groped, by an angel."

"Okay look, Dean, why do you think this Castiel guy would lie to you about it?" Sam asked.

"Maybe he's some kind of demon. Demon's lie." Dean stated as he paced back toward the kitchen cabinets.

"A demon who's immune to salt rounds? And devil's traps? And Ruby's knife? Dean, Lilith is scared of that thing." Sam argued as he swiveled the desk chair to look at his brother.

Dean picked up a piece of pizza and smelled of it before tossing it back into the box. "Don't you think that if angels were real, some hunter somewhere would have seen one, at some point, ever?" Dean asked talking aggravatedly with his hands.

"Yeah, you just did, Dean." Sam stated.

"I'm trying to come up with a theory here, okay? Work with me." Dean said as he leaned back onto the white cabinet.

"Dean we have a theory." Sam was now getting agitated. He glanced at Maria for help.

"Yeah, one with a little less fairy dust please." Dean said with creased brows as he walked over to the desk and placed his hands on his hips.

"Dean, stop and think for a minute here." Mia finally spoke up making Dean look from his brother to her. "Where do you think demons came from, huh? They were created by Lucifer."

"Yeah, so?" Dean asked with a frown while Sam smiled at her.

"So what _is_ Lucifer?" Mia asked trying to get him to say what Lucifer was.

"I don't know where you're going with this." Dean said. He was playing stupid, she knew it.

"Dean, Lucifer is a fallen angel. So don't you think it could be possible that angels are real, because if they weren't demons wouldn't exist?" she asked.

Dean opened his mouth to argue with her, but he couldn't think of anything to say. Before he could, Bobby interrupted them. "You three chuckleheads wanna keep arguing religion or you wanna come take a look at this?" the three of them exchanged some hard and aggravated looks before they headed over to Bobby who was in the library of a living room. "I got stacks of lore. Biblical, pre-Biblical, some of it's in damn cuneiform. It all says an angel can snatch a soul from the pit."

"What else?" Dean asked rubbing at the burn on his shoulder.

"What else what?" Bobby asked, confused.

"What else can do it?" Dean asked as he dropped his hand.

"Airlift your ass out of the hot box?" Bobby asked rhetorically. "As far as I can tell nothin'."

Dean just stared at the floor until Sam spoke up. "Dean, this is good news."

"How?" Dean asked with raised brows.

"Because for once this isn't just another round of demon crap. I mean maybe you were saved by one of the good guys." Sam answered.

"Okay, say it's true. Say there are angels. Then what, there's a god?" Dean asked.

Bobby shrugged "At this point, biggest money's on yeah."

"Well, I hope there's a god or else I prayed to no one after you died." Mia didn't mean to say it out loud, but it was true. After Dean died and Sam ditched her she had to talk to someone.

"You prey?" both of the brothers asked at the same time making Maria shrink back a bit.

"Well, yeah. You were dead, Sam was nowhere to be seen so I had no one to talk to other than Bobby." Bobby raised his eyebrows at her silently asking what was wrong with him. "No offense, Bobby, you're a good listener, but sometimes it's easier to talk to someone who dosen't talk back." He told her with one of his looks that there was no offense taken.

"I don't know guys." Dean said taking the subject off of an uncomfortable looking Mia's faith and putting them back on topic.

"Okay, look." Sam interrupted his brother. "I know you're not all choir boy about this stuff, but this is becoming less and less about faith and more and more about proof."

"Proof?" Dean, who had started walking away from them, turned back around to look at his brother.

"Yes." Sam answered.

"Proof that there's a God out there that give a crap about me, personally?" he asked. "I'm sorry, but I'm not buying it." Dean argued.

"Why not?" Sam asked.

It took Dean a second to come up with an answer, but he finally said "Because why me?" he asked as he looked between the three of them. Mia had opened her mouth to answer him, but he kept talking. "If there is a God out there why would her give a crap about me?" Sam tried to talk, but Dean kept going. "I mean I've saved some people okay? I figured that made up for the, for the stealing and the, and ditching chicks." Dean stumbled through his words a bit. "But why do I deserve to get saved? I'm just a regular guy." Dean had gone from aggravated to agitatedly ranting.

"Apparently, you're a regular guy that's important to the man upstairs." Sam said what all of them were thinking.

"Well that creeps me out." Dean stated. "I mean I don't like getting singled out at birthday parties, much less by God." Dean almost laughed at the thought.

"Okay, well too bad, Dean, because I think he wants you to strap on your party hat." Sam said and Maria laughed at the thought of Dean wearing a pointy party hat. He rolled his eyes at her then looked at Bobby who gave him a look that said he agreed.

Dean cleared his throat uncomfortably. "Fine, what do we know about angles?"

Bobby sighed as he picked up a stack of five thick books and plopped them down in front of Dean. "Start readin'."

Dean pointed a finger at Sam and said "You're gonna get me some pie." Before he slapped his hand on the small book on top, took it and headed to the kitchen. Sam sighed and looked at Maria and Dean before he grabbed the keys to the impala off of the desk and headed out. Maria grabbed the next book in the stack and went to join Dean at the dining table in the kitchen. She had been reading for a few minutes when her stomach audibly growled. Dean didn't say anything as he picked up his phone and called Sam. "Hey, grab Mia some Funyuns while you're out." Mia heard Sam say something back. "And don't forget my pie." Mia smiled at Dean who smiled back while Sam gripped at Dean. "Well, never, but-" Sam cut him off and Dean rolled his eyes. "whatever, hurry up. Bye."

"You didn't have to do that you know." Mia informed Dean who just waved her off.

He was about to say something back when they heard Bobby sigh heavily in the library. "You alright in there Bobby?" Dean called and Bobby walked in with his cell phone in his hand.

"Yeah, you look aggravated as hell." Mia chipped in and Bobby look from his cell phone to her then to Dean.

"Do either of you know Olivia Lowry?" He asked and Mia shook her head.

"Yeah, she's a hunter isn't she?" Dean asked as he stood up from the table.

"Yeah, I've been trying to reach her for the past three days. See if she knows anything about this angel stuff." Bobby explained.

"Maybe she's busy." Maria suggested, but Bobby shook his head.

"No, it ain't like her to ignore calls much less this many of them." He said as he tucked his phone into his pocket. "I'm gonna go check on her." Bobby said.

"I'll go with you." Dean said before he looked to Mia. "Or maybe I should stay here." He didn't ask a question, but his eyes made it one.

"No, go Dean. I'll be safe here." She said as she got up from the kitchen chair to stand at his side. "Besides, if something is going on I'm sure Bobby could use the help."

"You sure?" Dean asked and she nodded so he left to go pack his stuff.

"If anything happens, go to the basement and through the iron door. You'll be safe there." Bobby said before he too left to start getting ready to go.

Mia was with them outside packing Bobby's car when Sam pulled up. Bobby went to the window and leaned in to catch Sam up on what was going on. While he was doing that Mia followed Dean to the diver's side of the Impala. "You stay safe out there." Mia told him as he placed his hands on her hips. She rested hers on his shoulders, careful not to touch his burn.

"I will." He leaned down and gave her a peck on the lips. "That goes for you too. If anything happens you call me and I'll get here as fast as I can." She gave him a nod before he pressed his lips to hers in a slow, passionate kiss. "I love you." he whispered the words against her lips.

She pulled back to look at him and got captivated in his bright green depths. "I love you too, Dean."

He gave her anther quick kiss before he stepped away from her and pulled the impala's door open. "Scoot over." He said to Sam who scooted over and Dean slid inside. Mia leaned over and stuck her head inside the car, her arms crossed over the open window. Sam handed Dean the bag from the convenience store. He dug around in it before he handed her a big bag of funyuns then continued to dig through the bag. "Dude?" he asked getting Sam's attention. "Where's the pie?"

Sam's face fell before Dean angrily put the car in gear. "Stay safe out there, Sam." Mia said and he gave her a nod before she stood up straight and they drove off.

* * *

Mia was sitting on the couch, watching some stupid black and white show when her phone started ringing Dean's ringtone. "Hey, we're on our way back." He informed her.

"Okay, good, did you figure out what was going on with Olivia?" she asked as she stood up and started pacing the room.

"Yeah, we think ghosts killed her and some other off duty hunters." He explained hastily. "Hendricksen just tried to kill Sam."

"Wait, like Hendricksen, Hendricksen?" Mia asked. "As in the guy that Lilith killed?"

"Yeah, so I need you to stay safe. Do anything you can think to do, salt like, iron, you know the drill." Dean said sounding worried.

"Yeah, Dean, I'll take care of myself. Don't worry about me, you just watch out for you." she asked and he gave her a positive answer before he hung up. She went to the kitchen, grabbed the bag of salt that Bobby kept under the sink and drew a salt line around the couch. She then grabbed the iron fire poker and plopped down on the couch to finish her bag of chips.

Thirty minutes later the sun had fully set and Bobby walked in to find Maria sleeping on the couch. But she was woken up by the sound of the TV and radio going crazy with static. Bobby didn't say a word as she stood up, iron fire poker in hand, and started following him. As they neared the stairs a red white and blue stripped ball bounced down them to land at Bobby's feet. When they turned around they came face to face with a set of twin little girls. "Maria run!"

She did as Bobby said and made a run for the basement. Once down she looked around for the iron door that Bobby told her to go through and she spied it in the back right hand corner. "Why didn't you save me Maria?" she heard the voice of a little boy behind her and turned to see a child that had drown during one of the cases she had worked with her mother. She was frozen in fear for only a second before she turned and made a run for the iron door.

The little boy chased after her and she made it in just in time for her to slam the door in the little boys face. He evaporated into smoke as he slammed into the door. Once inside she sat down on the computer desk breathing hard. It had been a while since she had run that far that fast and with good reason. It took her a while to catch her breath and calm her speeding heart rate, but when things calmed down she pulled her phone out and called Dean. But the call never went through. Wondering why she looked around her at the metal room. As she walked along the wall, examining it, she noticed that it was all iron and coated in salt. "Smart, Bobby, but not practical for when you need to call for help." She said aloud even though Bobby wasn't around to hear her.

She could hear things going on outside, thuds and gunshots, but she didn't want to leave the safety of the round metal room and risk something happening to the baby. When things fell silent she waited patiently for Bobby to come tell her it was safe. Eventually she did hear someone come downstairs. "Open the door." Bobby said so she went to the big door and yanked it open.

He walked in first with the boys following him. Mia went to Dean and hugged him before she turned to Sam and gave him a small smile. As she turned back to Dean she saw him looking at the guns that lined one side of the wall.

"Bobby, is this-?" Sam started.

"Solid iron." Bobby answered.

"And from the looks of it the whole thing is completely coated in salt." Maria chimed in and Bobby gave her a smirk.

"You built a panic room?" Sam asked with humor in his voice.

"I had a weekend off." Bobby answered as if it was the obvious answer.

The three of them laughed. "Bobby." Dean said getting the older man's attention. "You're awesome." Dean said with a goofy grin and a gun in his hand.

"So stupid." Mia mumbled under her breath, but Dean heard her and wrapped his arm around her waist, giving her the same goofy grin.

"Oh." Dean said as his eyes caught sight of the black and white poster of a blond woman in a one piece bathing suit. The three of them exchanged awkward glances before Maria walked over and flipped the poster around.

"So you guys have any clue as to what's going on out there?" Maria asked.

"Yeah. A little. The ghosts that are killing people are the ghosts of people they couldn't save." Dean informed her as he held her tightly to his side.

"Oh. So that's why Hendricksen visited Sam and why…" Mia trailed off thinking about the little boy she couldn't' save.

"Why what?" Dean asked seeing the distant look on her face.

"Why I was visited by Aiden." Dean asked her who that was. "He's a little boy that died on a case that Mom and I were working. A spirit pulled him into the water and I jumped in after him, but I couldn't save him." Dean gave her a caring squeeze before he let go of her and walked over to where Sam was setting out the stuff to pack salt rounds.

"We also know that both Hendricksen and Meg had a brand on their hands." Sam filled her in and she looked at him, noticing the cut on his left eyebrow for the first time. Without thinking she walked over and touched his temple close to the cut. "I'm fine." He answered her silent question as he pushed her hand away. Dean noticed, but didn't say anything as he started packing the shells.

The room was silent other than the sounds the boys made packing the salt rounds and Bobby and Maria flipping the pages of books, looking for the symbol. That was until Dean broke the silence. "See this is why I can't get behind god."

"What are you talking about?" Sam asked with a creased brow.

"If he doesn't exist, fine. Bad crap happens to good people, that's how it is. And no rhyme or reason, just random, horrible, evil. I get it. Okay? I can roll with that. But if he is out there, what's wrong with him?" he asked. "Where the hell is he while these decent people are getting torn to shreds?" he packed the shell in his hands some more before he finished with "How does he live with himself, you know? Why doesn't he help?" Dean threw the packed shell onto the table. They all look to Bobby for an answer.

"I ain't touching this one with a 10 foot pole." He said dismissively and the boys looked at her.

"Fine, I'll give it a go." She said as she snapped her book shut and sat it down beside her to think. When she came up with the best answer she simply said. "Good can't exist without evil. There's gotta be balance. They're bad we're good. God's good, but if her interferes too much then the balance will be tipped." She said and the boys just stared at her.

"Found it." Bobby piped up and they all looked at him. "The symbol you saw. The brand on the ghosts. Mark of the Witness."

"Huh?" Mia asked with a scrunched up face that made the boys smile.

"Witness to what?" Sam asked with a look at his brother before he looked back at Bobby.

"The unnatural. None of them died what you'd call ordinary deaths. See these ghosts, they were forced to rise. The woke up in agony. They're like rabid dogs. It ain't their fault. Someone rose them… on purpose." Bobby said and Sam asked who. "Do I look like I know?" he asked snarkily. "But whoever it was used a spell so powerful it left a mark. A brand on their souls. Whoever did this had big plans. It's called the rising of the witnesses. It figures into an ancient prophecy."

"Wait, wait, wait. What book is that prophecy from?" Dean asked as he got up from his chair and walked over to look at the book on the desk. Sam followed while Mia stayed on the bed where she had been sitting.

"Well, the widely distributed version's just for tourists, you know, but um, long story short: Revelations." They all just stared at Bobby. "This is a sign."

The brothers looked at each other then back at Bobby. "A sign of what?" they asked at the same time.

Maria and Bobby gave each other a look before he leaned back in his chair with a sigh. "The apocalypse."

"The apocalypse?" Dean asked and Bobby confirmed. "As in "apocalypse" apocalypse? The four horsemen, pestilence…$5-a-gallon-gas apocalypse?" Dean asked talking with his hands.

"That's the one." Bobby answered while Maria and Sam just stared. "The Rise of the Witnesses is a…" Bobby looked around searching for the right words, "a mile marker."

"Okay, that's freaking awesome. What are we supposed to do now?" Maria asked not hiding the fact that she didn't like the idea of raising her baby in the apocalypse.

"Pfft. Road trip." Dean said as he started walking over to wear Mia was sitting and she stood up, meeting him half way. "Yeah? Grand Canyon, star trek experience," he clapped his hands together and pointed at his brother, "Bunny ranch." Mia slapped his good shoulder and gave him a look. His response was to give her one of his goofy smiles.

"First things first." Bobby spoke up. "How about we survive our friends out there?"

"Great. Any ideas, aside from staying in this room until judgment Day?" before sat next to Mia on the bed and looped his arm around her waist.

Bobby pointed at a piece of paper with his pencil. "It's a spell to send the witnesses back to rest. Should work."

"Should? Ha. Great." Sam said speaking for the first time in a while.

"If I translated correctly. I think I got everything we need here at the house." Bobby said as he leaned back in his chair again.

"You wouldn't have everything you need here in this awesome room of your would you?" Mia asked and Dean smirk at her calling the room awesome when she had called him stupid from calling Bobby awesome for making the room.

"You thought our luck was gonna start now all of a sudden?" Bobby popped off at her, but gave her a smirk that let her know he was kidding with her. He got up and went to the wall of guns. "Spell's gotta be cast over an open fire."

"The fire place in the library." Sam thought out loud.

"Bingo." Bobby was clearly one step ahead.

"It's just not as appealing as a uh, ghost-proof panic room with my girl in it, you know?" Dean asked while rubbing his temples. After that they got to work arming themselves while Maria sat on the bed with her legs crossed and her back against the wall and watched. When they were ready Dean kissed her on the forehead then joined the other two men at the door. "You boys be careful." She said as she got up off the bed to stand behind the men. They all gave her a nod before Bobby started talking.

"Cover each other." He instructed as he grabbed the metal leaver that opened and closed the door. "and aim careful. Don't run out of ammo until I'm done, or they'll shred you."

"_Oh that makes me feel so much better."_ Mia thought sarcastically to herself as Bobby opened the door and they cautiously left. When they were all out she started to close the heavy door, but the spirit of the little boy popped up and she froze. "Why Maria? Why's you let me drown?"

Dean looked back and saw her standing there not moving. So he backtracked and grabbed the door shutting it on the little boy. It vaporized and Dean opened the peep slot to look at Mia. "You okay?" he asked and she simply nodded at him.

As Mia waited for it all to be over she ignored the little boy that was outside the door taunting her and made a game of counting gunshots. It distracted her from the fact that it was gunshots she was counting. The grand total? Twenty-six.

As soon as it was over Dean went and got Mia. She was relieved to find that he was completely unharmed.

* * *

Mia was dreamlessly sleeping until she woke to Dean saying "If you say mysterious ways, so help me I will kick your ass." As she looked around she realized he was out in the hallway. "So Bobby was right? About the witnesses? Was this some kind of a sign of the apocalypse?" she heard him ask as she got out of bed to see who she was talking to.

"Dean?" she asked with a sleepy swipe of her eyes. "Who are you talk-" her sentence was cut off when she saw a man in a tan trench coat looking at her through squinted blue eyes. His hair looked like it hadn't been brushed in days.

"Hello, Maria." The man greeted in a gravelly voice and she instantly knew who he was.

"Castiel?" she asked, now fully awake.

"Yes, that is my name." he told her formally before he turned his attention back to Dean. "That's why we're here. Big things afoot."

"Do I wanna know what kind of things?" Dean asked.

"I sincerely doubt it, but you two need to know." Castiel said as he looked between Dean and Mia. "The rising of the witnesses is one of the 66 seals."

"What seals?" Maria asked.

"Yeah, I'm guessing that's not a show at SeaWorld." Dean added and Mia gave him a look that he knew meant she was calling him stupid in her head.

"Those seals are being broken by Lilith." Castiel informed them.

"She did the spell, she rose the witnesses?" Dean asked as he walked to where Mia was still standing in the doorway of the spare bedroom and wrapped his arm around her waist.

"Mm-hm and not just here. Twenty other hunters are dead." Castiel said looking between the two.

"Of course. She picked victims the hunters couldn't save so that they would barrel right after us." Dean connected the dots out loud while Mia stayed quiet, connecting them in her head.

"Lilith has a certain sense of humor." Castiel added and Mia rolled her eyes.

"We put those spirits back to rest." Dean said.

"Doesn't matter. The seal was broken." Castiel said.

"Why break the seal, anyway?" Dean asked what Mia was thinking.

"You think of the seals as locks on a door." Castiel said uncomfortably.

"So what happens when the last door opens?" Mia asked curiously.

"Lucifer walks free." Castiel said and Mia took in a sharp breath, instantly thinking about what that would do to life on earth and the world that she would be raising her baby in.

"Lucifer? I thought Lucifer was just a story they told at demon Sunday school. There's no such thing."

"Dean, that's what I've been trying to tell you. Remember when I said that demons were created when an angel fell?" Mia asked and Dean just looked at her waiting for her to finish what she was saying. "Lucifer was that angel."

"She's smart, Dean, you should listen to her more often." Castiel said with what was almost a smile in Maria's direction before he looked back at Dean. "Why do you think we're here walking among you now for the first time in 2000 years?"

"To stop Lucifer." Dean whispered in realization.

"It's why we've arrived." Castiel said.

"Well, bang up job so far. Stellar work with the witnesses. It's nice" Dean said with a shake of his head.

"Dean, come on. Be fair." Mia said to him with creased brows, but he ignored her.

Castiel looked down at her before he started walking closer to Dean. "We tried. There are other battles. Other seals. Some we'll win, some we'll lose. This one, we lost. Our numbers are not unlimited. Six of my brothers died in the field this week. You think the armies of heaven should just follow you around? There's a bigger picture here. You should show me some respect. I dragged you out of hell. I can throw you back in."

"Castiel?" Maria asked knowing that he was about to leave, but she had some questions for him too.

"Yes, Maria?" he asked.

Now that she had his full attention she felt a little taken aback. "Um, why is it that I could hear you when Dean and everyone else couldn't?"

"Because you are an abomination in the eyes of us angels." His harsh words almost brought tears to her eyes.

"So it's because of the demon blood in me?" she asked timidly.

But Castiel shook his head. "No, it is because you are one forth angel." His words stopped her ability to breath and she looked at him like he was crazy. She was sure that Dean was giving him the same look, but she couldn't take her eyes off of Castiel to be sure. "Your grandmother mated with an angel and gave birth to the abomination that was your father. We were relieved when he sold his soul to save your mother. It meant we didn't have to take care of him."

Castiel calling the father that she barely remembered an abomination pulled her out of her shocked state. "So my father was a Nephilim?" she asked.

Castiel gave her a single stone faced nod in confirmation. "Yes, your powers, unlike Sam's, do not come strictly from the blood of Azazel."

"So that's why I could still use them after we killed Yellow Eyes." She thought out loud to herself.

"Correct." Castiel got too close for comfort and glared down at her. "I advise you to use your powers wisely. Misuse will not be tolerated." And with those last words he disappeared in a whoosh.

When she finally looked over at Dean it was to see that he was staring at her like he had suddenly sprouted another head. "Son of a bitch." She whispered before she spun on her heels and went into the bedroom.

A/N: Please forgive any typos or mistakes in this chapter. I have no excuse I just know I probably missed a lot in this one. Lol.


	27. Chapter 27

Disclaimer: See chapter one.

Sleeping With The Ally

Chapter 27: In the Beginning/Metamorphosis

In the dead of night while Mia and Dean slept Sam slipped out of the hotel room. As he did that, Mia had one of the two nightmares she'd had since Dean came back. The one where red lights flashed in Dean's face as he and other people screamed out for help. That was until Dean left her side. After that the dream suddenly stopped and her sleep became dreamless.

When Maria woke up it was to Dean and Castiel talking. "Where's Sam?" It was Dean's words that pulled her out of her dreamless slumber.

"We know what Azazel did to your brother and Maria. What we don't know is why. What his endgame is. He went to great lengths to cover that up." Castiel said in his gravelly voice as he looked past Dean to watch her sit up on the side of the bed.

"Where's Sam?" Dean asked again.

"425 Waterman." Castiel answered and Dean started packing up his stuff. He noticed then that Mia was awake. "Your brother is headed down a dangerous road, Dean, and we're not sure where it leads." Castiel said while looking at Maria, but then his eyes shifted to Dean. "So stop it, or we will."

Dean stopped packing and stared at Castiel before the angel disappeared. Mia slid out of bed and started to get dressed. "What are you doing?" Dean asked with a hard voice.

"I'm coming with you." she stated matter-of-factly as she continued to get dressed.

"No, Mia, it's too dangerous. There's no telling what Sam is doing right now." Mia stopped, realizing that he was right. "Just stay here and stay safe." He walked over to her and kissed her on the head before he grabbed his bag and left.

###Insert Line###

Maria didn't go back to sleep after Dean left and the sun was just rising when Sam unlocked the door and came inside. "Where's Dean?" she asked, realizing that the two weren't together.

"I don't know." Sam said with a huff.

"What do you mean you don't know?" she asked with creased brows and a worried tone.

"I mean I don't know, Maria." Sam sounded aggravated.

"What happened, Sam?" she asked, worried.

"Nothing, just…don't worry about it." he said sounding defeated as he plopped down in the dining chair at the yellow dining table and started reading a book. Maria gave up on talking to him and sat down on the bed. They were still like this when Dean finally came in an hour later.

"Mia, start packing." Dean said as he grabbed his bag off of the foot of their bed and started shoving his clothes in.

"Dean, what are you doing?" Sam asked as he got up from the table. "Are you leaving?"

"You don't need us. You and Ruby go fight demons." Dean countered as he continued to pack, but Mia hadn't moved from where she sat on the bed with her feet tucked under her butt.

"Did he just say Ruby?" Maria asked.

Sam glanced at her over his shoulder, but otherwise ignored her. "Hold on, Dean. Come on, man." Sam said as Dean walked past him toward the door, but when he turned to look at Sam, Dean punched him square in the jaw. Mia yelped in surprise, hopped up off of the bed and backed away from the brothers, but she didn't take her eyes off of them. "You satisfied?" Sam asked before Dean punched him again. The thud of another blow to Sam's face made her sick to her stomach. Dean tossed his bag to the floor. "I guess not." Sam huffed out with a bleeding lip.

"Do you even know how far off the reservation you've gone?" Dean asked, his eyes boring a hole him Sam's. "How far from normal? From human?" Dean asked.

"I'm just exorcising demons." Sam almost whispered.

"With your mind!" Dean yelled and Mia flinched. She had seen him mad before, but never this mad. "What else can you do?" he asked quieter now.

"I can send them back to hell. It only works with demons and that's it." Sam answered.

But Dean grabbed him by his shirt collar and started pushing him backwards. "What else can you do?" he asked shakily.

"I told you." Sam said raising his voice for the first time.

"And I have every reason in the world to believe that." Dean said before he started walking away from Sam.

"Look I should've said something. I'm sorry, Dean. I am." Sam said as he followed his brother. "But try to see the other side here."

"The other side?" Dean yelled. The two of them had completely forgotten that Maria was in the room.

"I'm pulling demons out of innocent people." Sam explained.

"Use the knife!" Dean yelled.

"The knife kills the victim. What I do most of them survive." Sam said before he took a breath. "Look, I've saved more people in the last five months than we save in a year."

"Is that what Ruby wants you to think?" he asked quieter now. "Kind of like the way she tricked you into using your powers? Slippery slope, brother. Just wait and see, because it's gonna get darker and darker. And god knows where it ends." Dean said with a shake of his head.

"I'm not gonna let it go too far." Sam said.

Dean's face hardened as he walked over to the TV and slapped the lamp off of it. Mia jumped when it crashed to the floor. "It's already gone too far, Sam. If I didn't know you, I would wanna hunt you." Dean said with disappointment laced into his voice. Sam nodded, looking like he was about to cry. "And so would other hunters."

"You were gone. I was here. I had to keep on fighting without you." Sam almost whispered. "And what I'm doing, it works."

"Well, tell me, if it's so terrific then why did you lie about it to me?" Dean asked. "Why did an _angel_ tell me to stop you?"

This got Sam's attention. "What?"

"Cas said that if I don't stop you, he will." Dean's voice was shaky and both of the brothers look as if they were about to cry. "See what that means, Sam? That means that God doesn't want you doing this. Are you just gonna stand there and tell me that everything is _all good_?" Dean asked with an attitude induced tilt of his head.

Sam's cell phone ringing broke up the conversation and Sam answered it. Mia took this as her opportunity to remind them that she was in the room and she walked over to stand a few feet away from Dean. When Sam hung up the phone he noticed Maria glaring at him. "How long have you been working with her?" she asked, her arms crossed over her chest. Sam didn't answer her. "How long, Sam?"

"It started a little over three weeks after Dean died." He admitted.

Mia started shaking with anger, knowing what that meant. "That's why you left me?" she asked with an anger reddened face. "To be with Ruby?"

"Yes." Sam admitted with red watery eyes.

"Two months…" she whispered, staring at his chest, because she couldn't make herself look into his eyes. "Two month's you were with _her_" she said through gritted teeth,"and I had no idea." She paused, giving Sam a chance to speak and explain himself, but he didn't. "You were trailing Lilith…That's what you told me you were doing." Neither of the brothers said anything. "Why lie about what you could do? Did you think I wouldn't understand? That you were too much of a freak and I didn't have any powers anymore so I wouldn't get it?" she asked as she finally made herself look into his eyes.

"Maira I-" he started as he stepped closer to her and put his hands on her upper arm.

But she jerked her shoulders back and slapped his hands off of her. "Don't touch me!" she yelled as a thought occurred to her. "Did you sleep with her?" the whispered question and the way Mia was glaring at Sam, struck Dean as odd. Why would she care if Sam slept with Ruby?

Sam's eyes were glued to hers as he slowly nodded.

"You son of a bitch." Maria's words, although whispered, made Sam flinch as if she had struck him and before either of them knew what had happened Maria had done just that with a soft open hand that stung worse than any fisted blow from his brother. But as her arm rose behind her head again, this time with her hand balled into a fist, Dean stepped up, wrapped an arm around her chest and another around her hips and pulled her back. Her fist only hit air. "How dare you?!" she yelled and fought against Dean as he continued to hold her back. A perfect red handprint was already forming on the side of Sam's face. At this point Dean was only holding her back for her own good. "How dare you sleep with that _bitch_ and come crawling back to me?" her screaming had dissolved into crying and hanging limply in Dean's arms. "Let me go." She asked weakly and Dean obliged.

She wanted to hit Sam again, but instead she went to the door, jerked it open and slammed it behind her. She was still shaking when she made it to the Impala and tried to open the door only to realize that Dean had locked it up. She cursed under her breath and settled for sitting on the trunk. Her breath came in little gasps, tears rolled down her cheeks, hands practically vibrated and her heart felt like it was going to pound out of her chest. She was having a panic attack.

So she picked a rock in the gravel parking lot and focused on it until her breathing and heart rate returned to normal. But tears were still slowly slipping down her cheeks when Dean met her at the car. She took her eyes off of the rock and hopped down off of the trunk to embrace Dean, but as she look up at him and saw the hard glare he was giving her she stopped in her tracks. "Dean, I-" Mia started, but Dean interrupted her.

"You and Sam?" he asked, sounding just as disappointed with her as he was with Sam earlier. Mia could only nod. "Together?" she nodded again. "So he's the other hunter, the one you said I had met." It wasn't a question, but Mia still nodded. "Looks like Sam's not the only liar here."

"I never lied to you Dean." Mia finally spoke, but Dean just shook his head. "I avoided certain truths, yes, but I never lied to you. I told you it was over and it is." Dean just rolled his eyes and shook his head. "You were _gone_, Dean. I was alone and pregnant and hurting and-"

"And Sam was there to comfort you." Dean interrupted her. "You know I should have known this would happen. Hell my conscious warned me. It told me that I was gone and you were lonely and numb you would sleep with the first interested person you came across. Just so you could feel something, even for just a second." He practically yelled at her and Mia watched as his eyes watered, but not a single tear fell.

A pain shot through her chest and her eyes moved to stare at the tear drops that soaked into her shirt. "I'm sorry…" she whispered before she made herself meet his eyes. "But I promised you I would find a good man and settle down after you died. So why are you getting mad at me for keeping a promise?

"Because you did it with my brother!" he yelled at her and she flinched back from him, blinking rapidly to try and fight her tears.

They settled into a tense silence and Mia took a step back and leaned on the trunk while Dean stared out across the parking lot. She made a useless attempt to clear her face of tears. She was tired of crying. It seemed like that was all she had been able to do lately. "Do you want me to go?" Mia asked quietly, breaking the silence.

Dean sighed as he thought about it. "No, if you want to stay you can stay."

Without any more discussion they went back inside, packed up their stuff and headed to Carthage, Missouri. The person that had called Sam earlier, Travis, had told them that there was a case there.

###insert line###

They boys dropped Mia off at the hotel, while they scouted out a man named Jack Montgomery. She was sitting on the bed in the room she had gotten when she heard a knock at the door. She looked through the peep hole to see an older man with a receding hair line. She assumed it was Travis, but she didn't know for sure. "Who is it?" she called.

"It's Travis. The boys told me the room number." He answered.

She got the bag of salt out of her bag and drew a line around the door before she opened it. He smiled at her, but she remained stoic as she tossed him her silver flask. "Drink."

He rolled his eyes as he stepped across the line while chugging the holy water. "Proof enough?" he asked as he tossed her the flask back. She gave him a single nod and he walked into the kitchenette and grabbed himself a beer out of the fridge. "So I see you didn't inherit your mother's friendly nature." He said as he twisted the top off and took a swig.

"You knew my mom?" she asked as she moved to sit on the end of the bed.

"Shoot, she was one of the best hunters I ever met. Woman could kick some ass." He answered as he moved to sit at the small square dining table that sat in front of the large window.

"I didn't mean to be rude." Maria apologized and Travis waved her off.

"Na, woman in your condition can't be too safe."

Maria was about to thank him when Sam and Dean opened the door getting their attention. "Travis!" Dean greeted loudly before he looked over at Sam. "See, Sam? I told you we should've hid the beer." Sam and Maria just laughed.

"Smart-ass." Travis commented as he and Dean walked up to each other "Get over here." He said before he pulled Dean into a short hug then did the same to Sam. "Good to see you." he said to both of the boys.

"You too, Travis." Sam said with a smile down at the older man.

"Man, you got tall kid." Travis said as he looked up at Sam. "How long has it been?" he asked the younger brother.

"Gotta be at least 10 years." Sam answered.

"Are you still a…? oh, what was it…a mathlete?" Travis asked.

"Sam laughed awkwardly. "No…no."

"Yep, sure is." Dean said as he slapped his brother on the back.

"Been too long, boys. I mean, look at you, grown men. John would have been damn proud of you, sticking together like this." Travis said with a look between the two brothers.

"Yeah. No, we're as thick as thieves. Nothing more important than family." Dean said. Sam and Mia shared a look before Travis turned to her.

"And you little lady. Last time I saw you, you were in pigtails and Tweety Bird overalls." He said with a smile at Maria. "Of course you were too young to remember that." Maria didn't remember ever meeting him, but she knew he wasn't lying, because she did remember having a black set of overalls with Tweety Bird on the front pocket of them when she was around six years old. "Anyways, sorry I'm late for the dance." He said as he moved to sit down at the dining table again. Sam and Dean joined him while Mia sat back down on the bed. "Thanks for helping out an old man. I'm a little short-handed." He said as he held up his right arm that was in a cast. "So you track down Montgomery?" Travis asked.

"Yeah, we found him at his home." Sam answered.

"And?" Travis prompted.

"He had a hell of a case of the munchies. Topped off with a burger that he forgot to cook." Dean said.

"That's him alright." Travis said and Mia stood from the bed to join the circle at the table.

"What's him?" Dean asked Travis while looking at Mia. He noticed the way she had her hand placed on the small of her back where she stood. "You alright?" he asked and she waved him off.

"Kids, we got a Rougarou on our hands." Travis said with a look between them all.

"A Rougarou?" Dean asked. "Is that made-up? That sounds made-up." Sam and Mia made faces that said they agree.

"They're mean, nasty little suckers." Travis sighed. "Rotted teeth, wormy skin, the works."

"Well, that ain't this guy. I mean, he was wearing a cell phone on his belt." Dean said with a look at Sam before he looked back at Travis.

"He'll turn ugly soon enough." Travis said. "They start out human for all intents and purposes."

"So what, they go through some kind of metamorphosis?" Sam asked.

"Yep, like a maggot turning into a blowfly." Travis confirmed. "but most of all, they're hungry."

"Hungry for what?" Mia beat Dean to asking.

"At first for everything, but then for long pig." Travis answered.

"Huh?" "Long pig?" Mia and Dean asked at the same time.

"He mean's human flesh." Sam filled them in.

"And that is my word of the day." Dean said with a smirk and a nod.

Travis and Mia just smiled at him. "Hunger grows in until they can't fight it. Until they gotta take themselves a big, juicy chomp and then it happens."

"What happens?" Sam asked.

"They transform completely, and fast." Travis answered. "One bite's all it takes. Eyes, teeth, skin it all turns. No going back either. They feed once, they're monster forever. Our man Jack's headed there on a bullet train."

"So if this guy is still human how did you find out about him? I mean, obviously he hasn't killed anyone yet." Maria asked and everyone looked at her before they looked to Travis for an answer.

"Let's just say it runs in his family." Travis said. "I killed his daddy back in '78. Son of a bitch mangled eight bodies before I put him down. Guy used to be a dentist. Cadillac. Trophy wife. Little did I know, pregnant trophy wife. She put the boy up for adoption. By the time I found out, he was long gone, lost in the system."

"You mean to tell me _you_ couldn't find someone?" Sam asked with a tone that suggested he didn't believe him.

"I'm not sure I wanted to. The idea of hunting down some poor kid. I don't think I'd had the heart." They all nodded at him in understanding and Mia ran the hand that wasn't pressed to her lower back to her stomach. "No. I wanted to wait. Make damn sure I had the right man. Apparently I do." He picked up his beer from the table and took a drink.

###Insert Line###

Sam had gone to do research. Dean, Mia and Travis stayed in the hotel room. Dean and Travis sat at the dining table getting ready to go after Jack while Mia laid on the bed trying to get comfortable. "So fire huh?" Dean asked with a torch in his hand.

"The only way I've found to kill these bastards, deep-fry them." Travis answered.

"Well, that's gonna be horrible." Dean said and Mia couldn't help but watch his skilled hands while he worked. She wished things could go back to the way they were before he died. "That what you did to jack's dad?"

"Uh-huh." Travis answered before Sam walked in catching their attention.

"Not wasting any time are you?" Sam asked as he walked in with papers in his hands.

"None to waist." Travis answered. "The guy hulks out, we won't be finding bodies, just remains."

"What if he doesn't hulk out?" Sam asked. Dean and Travis stared at him as they continued to work on the torches. Maria got up off of the bed, giving up on getting comfortable, and walked over to stand a few feet away from Dean. "I did a little homework. I've been checking out the lore on Rougarous."

"What, my 30 years of experience not good enough for you?" Travis asked before he took a drink of his coffee.

"What? No. No, I just wanted to be prepared." Sam stumbled over his words, not wanting to offend the older hunter. "I mean, not that you didn't…"

"Sam loves research. He does. He keeps it under his mattress right next to his k-y." Dean laughed. "It's a sickness, it is."

"Look, everything you said checked out, of course. But uh, I found a couple of interesting stories about people who have this Rougarou gene or whatever. See, they start to turn, but they never take the final step."

"Really?" Dean asked as he glared at his brother.

"See, if they never eat human flesh they don't fully transform." Sam explained.

"So what? Go vegan, stay human?" Dan asked with a wrinkled face that said he didn't believe Sam.

"Basically. Or, in this case eat a lot of raw meat, just not-"

"Long pig." Dean finished for Sam.

"Right." Sam confirmed and Dean gave him one of his goofy smiles that Mia could help but smiled back at.

"Good on you for the due diligence, Sam." Travis said as Maria watched him stand from the table and head for the kitchen. "But those are fairy tales. The fact is, every Rougarou I ever saw or heard of," he pored himself another cup of coffee, "took the bite."

"Okay, well, that doesn't mean that jack will." Sam said as he stood from the table and Dean followed suit.

"So what do we do? Sit and hope, and wait for a body count?" Travis asked with an attitude.

"No, we talk to him. Explain what's happening. That way he can fight it." Sam said.

Travis just smiled. "Fight it?" he laughed. "Are you kidding me? You ever been really hungry? I mean, haven't-eaten-in-days hungry?"

"Yeah." Dean said.

Travis nodded. "Right then, so somebody slaps a big, juicy sirloin in front of you, you walking away?" he asked and Dean gave them all a look that told them hell no. "That's what we are to him now, meat on legs." Sam sighed and nodded. "I'm sorry. I'm sure he's a stand-up guy, but it's pure base instinct. Everything in natures gotta eat. You think he can stop himself because he's nice?" he asked.

"I don't know, but we're not gonna kill him unless he does something to get killed for." Sam said before he took a few shaky breaths then walked out of the room.

Travis gave them a weird look before he turned to Dean. "What's up with your brother?"

"Don't get me started." Dean said before he turned from Travis and gave Mia a look that seemed to say _you either._

That night, Mia and Dean slept in the same bed, but they didn't touch. Dean was cold when it came to her and they slept back to back, not even telling each other good night. It took a long time for sleep to finally catch up to her.

###Insert Line###

In the morning Mia woke up to the boys packing their stuff. "So where are y'all going?" Mia asked wondering if they were going to kill Jack or just talk to him.

"We're going after jack" was all Dean would say. So Mia got up and went into the bathroom to get dressed. When she came out she picked up her denim jacket, put it on and grabbed her hunting bag. "Where do you think you're going?"

"With y'all." She stated matter-of-factly. Dean just gave her a look. "I'm going, because we are only going to talk to this guy." She said as she walked around them and out the door.

"Oh, we are huh?" Dean asked as he followed behind her watching her walk down the hall with squinted eyes.

"Yes, because he isn't a monster until he's crossed the line." She answered, not stopping to talk to him.

"So you want to wait until he's killed someone?" Dean asked and Mia finally stopped walking to look at him.

"No, we warn him, tell him what he is becoming and tell him not to do anything stupid or he'll pay." She said before he looked over Dean's shoulder at Sam, then look back at Dean. "He deserves a chance to prove himself." She said before she turned and continued down the hall. "We all do." She mumbled to herself, but Sam and Dean heard.

###Insert Line###

"Alright, so apparently we're gonna go have a little chat with the guy, which, you know…I'm down. But I just wanna make sure, if push comes, y'all are gonna shove." Dean said and Mia ignore with a roll of her eyes.

"Meaning?" Sam asked.

"Odds are we're gonna have to burn this guy alive." Dean explained.

"This guy has a name and a wife." Sam argued.

"Yeah, who we're probably gonna make a widow, okay? You heard Travis, he's gonna turn. They always turn." Dean argued back.

"Well, maybe he won't." Sam said angrily. "Maybe he can fight it off."

"And maybe he can't. That's all I'm saying." Dean said.

"Alright, we'll just have to see, then, okay?" Sam asked.

"See, this is what I mean, Sam. You sure your emotions aren't getting in the way here?" Dean asked.

Sam gave him a dumb look, "What are you talking about?"

"You know, nice dude, but he's got something evil inside him. Something in his blood. Maybe you can relate." Dean argued.

"Stop the car." Sam almost whispered.

"What?" Dean asked and Mia sat up to look between the brothers. She had mostly been tuning them out, but this caught her attention.

"Stop the car, or I will." Sam yelled at his brother so Dean pulled off on the first side road he found. The brothers got out, slamming their doors. "You wanna know why I've been lying to you?" he asked as Mia unfolded herself out of the back seat. "To both of you? Because of crap like this."

"Like what?" Dean asked as Sam walked around to the driver's side of the car.

"The way you talk to me. The way you look at me like I'm a freak!" Sam yelled.

"I do not." Dean said.

"Even worse," Sam said as he continued to walk toward the lake they were parked next to, "like I'm an idiot." He turned around to get in Dean's face. "Like I don't know the difference between right and wrong!" Sam took a break from yelling to walk away from them. Mia walked around the car and stood next to Dean who licked his lips and looked down at the ground. "What?" Sam asked.

"Do you know the difference, Sam? You've been kinda strolling a dark road lately." Dean asked.

"You have no idea what I'm going through. None, either of you."

"Then enlighten me!" Dean yelled.

"I've got demon blood in me, Dean!" Sam yelled. "This disease pumping through my veins and I can't ever rip it out or scrub it clean. I'm a whole new level of freak!" Mia and Dean both just stared at him. "And I'm just trying to take this curse and make something good out of it. Because I have to."

"You think you're a freak?" Mia asked as she walked up to stand across from Sam. "I'm a half Nephilim who was fed demon blood as a kid and you're gonna say that I have no idea what you're going through? Don't complain about being a freak when you've had an ever bigger freak to talk to this whole time." she glared up at him until Dean broke their stare off.

"Let's just go talk to the guy." Dean said and Sam looked away from her to scoff at his brother. "I mean Jack. Okay?"

Without another word they got in the car and drove to Jack's house. When they heard water running in the fenced in back yard they let themselves in. Jack was standing at a flower garden with a water hose in his hand, but he wasn't moving. "Jack Montgomery?" Sam asked and Jack turned to look at the three of them. "I'm Sam Winchester. This is my brother, Dean, and our friend, Maria." Jack just looked between the three of them with a question mark face. "We need to talk."

"About?" Jack asked.

"About you." Sam answered. "About how you're changing."

"Excuse me?" Jack asked.

"You're probably feeling your bones move under your skin. And your appetite's reaching, you know, hungry, hungry hippo levels. How and I doing so far?" Dean asked.

"Who the hell are you guys?" Jack asked and Mia noticed that he seemed a little dazed.

"We're people who know a little something about something." Dean answered and Mia nudged him out of old habit.

"We're people who can help." Sam answered, "Please, just hear us out."

Jack said he would hear them out, so the three of them told him what he was and what he would become. "A-a what?" he asked, rubbing his temples.

"A Rougarou." Mia answered.

"Sounds made-up, I know, but believe me, it's not." Dean said.

"Alright, I've noticed certain things. I mean, some strange things. But I just- I don't know. I'm sick or something." Jack said, looking at them like they were crazy.

"Jack, we know you were adopted." Maria said and jack looked at her. "Your real father was one of these things. This gene or whatever it is was passed on to you."

Jack looked at her with squinted brows. "No. are you guys listening to yourselves. You sound like you're-"

"Let's skip the whole "you guys sound crazy," shall we? You're hungry, Jack." Dean interrupted. "You're only gonna get hungrier."

"Hungry for?" Jack asked.

"Long pig." Dean answered. "A little "Manburger Helper" may have crossed your mind already." Mia scratched the back of her head and called Dean stupid under her breath.

"No." Jack said after a long pause. It was times like these that Mia wished she could still read minds.

"It doesn't have to be like this, Jack. You can fight it off." Sam said.

"I'm not gonna lie to you though, it's not gonna be easy. You're gonna feel like an alcoholic swimming around in whiskey. But I'm telling you, you gotta say no. or-" Dean said.

"Or what?" jack interrupted him.

"You feed once and it's all over." Sam said.

"Then they'll have to stop you." Maria finished for him.

"Stop me?" Jack asked. "My dad, did, uh, somebody stop him?" Jack asked and Sam confirmed. "Get off my property right now. I see you guys again, I'm calling the cops."

"Jack, your wife, everybody you know, they're in danger." Sam said taking a step closer to Jack.

"Now!" Jack yelled getting the attention of his neighbor who was outside trimming a tree.

"Good talk." Dean said as they walked away, but they didn't leave. They spent the rest of the day watching Jack and making sure he didn't do anything stupid. It was dark when they finally noticed weird behavior from Jack. He was sitting on a bench outside of a building when he saw a woman getting changed in one of the upper floor appartments.

"Damn it, Jack, no." Sam cursed as he grabbed a flame thrower and jumped out of the car.

"Stay here." Dean said as he grabbed a flame thrower and followed Sam.

"You got it, dude." Mia sighed as she watched them run into the building. She watched Jack climb the fire escape and stare into the window at the woman. "Come on Jack, don't do it." she prayed out loud and soon after he left the window and jumped down off of the fire escape. She picked up her phone and dialed Dean's number. "He didn't go through with it." she said when he picked up.

"I know. We just scared the crap out of the poor woman." Dean panted back then hung up as he and Sam ran out of the building and to the car. "Which way did he go?" Dean asked her as she slid into the driver's seat.

"I don't know I couldn't see." She said and they headed to the hotel.

They were expecting Travis to be there when they got back, but he wasn't. "Okay, we're gonna pay Jack a visit." Dean said before he turned to Mia. "You stay here and hold down the fort." He asked more than demanded.

"Yeah, sure thing." She said before the boys were out the door again.

###Insert Line###

After an hour with no news Mia decided to give Dean a call. She tried twice with no answer, but on the third try, Jack answered. "Hello, Maria." He greeted.

"Where's Dean?" She asked as she nervously paced back and forth.

"He can't come to the phone right now." Jack answered shakily as if he had been crying.

"What did you do to him?" Mia asked and she could hear Sam yelling in the back ground.

"Calm down." Jack yelled and Mia heard the beeping of Jack putting her on speaker phone. "Dean's alive." Jack growled and Mia sighed in relief. "But not if you people don't calm down."

"Alright, Jack, listen." Mia heard Sam's muffled voice. "Open the door. We can figure this out, okay?"

"Yeah, Jack, just let Sam out and everything will be okay." Maria spoke up.

"Oh, yeah sure we'll all just have ourselves a little brainstorming session." Jack popped off.

"Jack, please." Maria and Sam said at the same time.

"I don't think so." Jack sobbed. "After what you two did."

"What?" Mia and Sam said together before Sam kept talking. "What are you talking about?"

"You send your friend here. He tried to burn my wife alive." Jack cried.

"What? Why?" Sam asked Jack, while Mia asked herself the same question. There was only one reason she could think of that would make Travis want to kill the wife…if she was pregnant.

"He didn't say." Jack said and Mia could tell he was lying she didn't know how she knew, but she did. "I guess psychopaths don't know how to explain themselves."

"Jack, I don't know why he did what he did, but Sam and Dean and I…we never would have hurt your wife." Maria said, but she didn't get an answer. "Please…just please…don't hurt Them. Dean's the father of my baby. How would you feel if someone tried to take that away from you?" she said, knowing that was what Travis tried to do to him.

"I can never see my family again…" Jack said, panting, "Why should you get to see yours?" Jack asked. "You three…you're friend. You made me do this!" Jack yelled.

"No one is making you kill us." Sam spoke up and his voice was still muffled so Mia knew he was still locked out of where ever Jack was. "Listen to me. You've got this dark pit inside you I know. Believe me, I know. But that doesn't mean you have to fall into it. You don't have to be a monster."

Jack started laughing. "Have you seen me lately?"

"It doesn't matter what you are. It only matters what you do." Sam said. "It's your choice." Maria could hear Jack panting before she heard the sound of wood breaking. "Jack!" Sam yelled.

She heard Jack yelling and the well known whoosh of flames. She waited for the sound to die down before she spoke. "Uh, Sam, you still there?" she asked. Dean picked up the phone off of the table where Jack had put it.

"Yeah, Mia, we're here." Dean panted.

"Dean." Mia sighed. "You're okay."

"Yep." He replied before he looked at his brother. "We've got some cleaning up to do here then we'll be back."

"Okay. See y'all then." She hung up the phone and sank down on the bed. She had really been hoping for Sam's sake that this guy would resist the change. Apparently he hadn't.

She was still sitting on the bed when the boys got back. The first thing she noticed as the cut over Dean's right brow and the scratches on the left side of Sam's forehead. "Are you guys okay?" Mia asked as she stepped up to Dean and touched Dean's temple.

"Yeah, Mia, we're fine." Dean sighed as he grabbed her hand, removed it from his head and dropped it before he walked around her to sit on their bed.

"I'm gonna take a shower." Sam announced as he grabbed his bag and disappeared into the bathroom.

"So Travis is dead?" Mia asked as she sat down on the foot of their bed next to Dean.

"Yeah, Jack ate him. Nothing left but bones." Dean confirmed and Mia nodded.

"How's Sam taking it?" she asked.

Dean shrugged. "I don't know, but he said he's gonna stop using his powers, so that's a good thing." He said and Mia just nodded as she turned her eyes to the floor. "Why did you want us to give Jack a chance?" Dean asked and she looked up at him. "I mean, I know why Sam wanted to, but why you. You're usually the better safe than sorry type."

"Because I thought it would be good for Sam." She said, but it was only half of the answer to his question.

"So do you forgive him?" Dean asked.

She scoffed. "Do you?" she asked and Dean didn't answer. "The guy broke my heart, Dean." She said as she stood up and started pacing. "I haven't forgiven him and I don't trust him but-"

"Again with the buts." Dean sighed as he rolled his eyes. She stopped pacing to stare at him. "But you still love him." Dean finished for her hostilely.

"Yes." She answered with a glare as she placed her hand on her stomach. "As a brother-in-law and the uncle to our child. Nothing else."

"Not anymore anyways." Dean grumbled as he stood from the bed and looked down at her.

"No, the second you walked into my apartment everything changed." She admitted and placed a hand on her back and bent to the side, trying to stretch out the pain she was feeling. "Then to find out that he cheated on me? With a demon no less." She asked as she shook her head. "Sam and I will never be a thing again, ever." Tears stung her eyes, but it had nothing to do with the conversation. "You're the only man I want to be with." She said before she winced and pressed her hand to the side of her stomach with a wince.

"Mia, are you okay?" Dean asked as he stepped closer to her and placed his hand on her lower back, leading her to sit on the bed.

"I don't know." she said with a pain scrunched face as she sat down.

"Are you…about to have the baby?" Dean asked sounding freaked at the thought of finally meeting his kid.

"No, or at least I don't think so." Mia answered and Dean surprised her when he took her hand in his. "From what I've read labor pains start out slow and dull and get worse. This pain just came out of nowhere." She explained.

"What's going on?" Sam asked as he walked out of the bathroom, drying his nude chest.

"Mia's in pain. We don't know what's wrong." Dean explained before he looked back at her. "Do you need to go to the emergency room?" he asked.

"No." she shook her head as she sat up a little straighter and leaned to the side once again trying to stretch out the pain. "It's getting better." She said with a sigh before another pain shot through her side making her inhale a sharp breath between her teeth and wince.

"Sam, go start the car." Dean instructed as he tossed his brother the keys and Sam obeyed. "You're going to the emergency room rather you want to or not." Dean said as he helped her stand up and they started walking to the door.

Dean sat in the back seat with her on the way to the hospital, holding her hand the whole time. And when they got to the hospital and checked in they immediately put her in a chair and started wheeling her back to a room. It was clear to everyone that Dean was the father so when Sam started to follow them back he saw stopped. "Are you a relative?" The female nurse asked.

"Yeah, I'm her brother." he lied, knowing you had to be a blood relative in order to get into the back area. The nurse bought it and waved him through.

A doctor came in and started asking her questions. "Has anyone ever warned you about Braxton Hicks contractions?" the doctor asked.

Mia shook her head. "What's that?" Dean asked with a look between Mia and the doctor.

"They're sporadic uterine contractions that start around six weeks into your pregnancy. Most women don't feel them until after mid pregnancy, others never feel them." The doctor explained.

"English please Doc." Dean said, still holding her hand where she was sitting up in the hospital bed.

"It's a fake contraction." Sam said looking away from the doctor to Mia and Dean.

"Exactly." The doctor confirmed.

"So everything is fine?" Mia asked hopefully.

"Yes, it's perfectly normal." The doctor said as he opened a filing cabinet and flipped through some papers until he came to the one he was looking for. "Here's some information on Braxton Hicks." He handed her the papers then pulled the door to the room open. "You can check out at the front Desk." He said before he left and shut the door behind him.

Mia sighed and sandwiched Dean's hand that she had been holding between both of hers and rested her forehead on them. "Thank god." Dean whispered as he wrapped his free arm around her.

The drive back to the hotel was silent and when they pulled into the parking lot Sam didn't kill the car. "Im gonna go grab some food. You guys want anything?" he asked and Mia shook her head. Dean told him that he wanted a cheeseburger and they got out of the car before Sam drove off.

They walked in silence until they came to the door of their room and Dean opened it for her. "Thanks." She told him with a small smile as she passed him and entered the room. She sat down on the bed with a sigh and pulled the ponytail holder out of her hair and shook it out with her fingers.

Dean watched her doing this. He still couldn't believe she had cut her beautiful hair and put caramel blond streaks in it. "Why'd you cut your hair?" he asked out of pure curiosity and the need to strike up a conversation.

She glanced up at him and shrugged. "I don't know. I think I just needed a change after you died." She admitted as she grabbed a blond tendril of hair and twirled it between her fingers before she let it go and looked back up at him. "You don't like it do you?" she asked. He just shook his head as an answer. "Yeah, I kinda don't either, but Sam…" she realized she shouldn't talk about her and Sam to Dean, but her relationship with Sam was a part of her past that she couldn't just forget about. "He liked it so I didn't die it back." She finished before she got up off of the bed and started gathering her shower stuff.

She had a change of clothes and her toiletry bag in hand as she headed to the bathroom when he grabbed her hand getting her attention. She paused, not turning to look at him as she thought about what he was about to say to her. He gave her hand a little tug and she turned on the balls of her feet to face him, but she didn't look at his face. Not until he hooked his finger under her chin and brought her lips up to meet his. "What was that for?" She asked, breathless from the kiss.

"You scared the shit out of me tonight." He didn't completely answer her question, but it was something.

Her response was to gently touch his cheek and slide her fingertips down his neck, sending a shiver down his spine. Her hand slid around the back of his neck and her fingers embedded themselves into his hair. "I'm still in love you."

"I'm still in love you too." Dean whispered back, his bright green eyes boring into hers.

"Forgive me?" she asked a little shakily, her brown flecked eyes doing her pleading for her.

Dean only nodded before he leaned down a placed his lips gently on hers. His hands moved to her hips and pulled her as close as he could. She relaxed into his touch and placed her other hand on his neck, lacing her fingers together. He started to walk them back to the bed when she pulled away from him and smiled up at him. He gave her a questioning look before she grabbed his hand, picked up her clothes and toiletry bag and started to pull him into the bathroom with her. "Hang on a second." It was her turn to give him a questioning look. He reached around her neck and unclasped her necklace. He slid the ring he had given her off of the chain then put it back around her neck before he picked up her hand. "What do you say, wanna be my fiancée… again?" she nodded and he slipped the ring back on her left hand. They kissed as they walked backwards into the bedroom and closed the door.

They were walking out, her dressed in Dean's black shirt and a pair of pajama shorts and Dean with just a towel wrapped around his waist, when Sam walked in with paper bags of take out containers in his hands. "Awesome, I'm starving." Dean said with one of his goofily happy smiled as he took a bag out of Sam's hand and set it on the table before he started digging in his bag for clothes.

Sam just gave them a curious look before he found words and turned to Mia, taking in her appearance. "I know you said you didn't want anything, but I grabbed you an avocado bacon cheeseburger just in case you changed your mind." He pulled a styrofoam container out of the bag he still held and handed it to her.

"Thanks." She gave him a sheepish smile as she passed him and sat down at the table. Dean disappeared into the bathroom to change and Sam grabbed a clear plastic bowl of salad out of the bag and sat down across from her.

"So I guess you two are back together?" he asked, pretending to not care, before he shoved a bite of lettuce into his mouth.

"Yeah, I guess we are." She answered with a smile that let Sam know she was truly happy again. He'd thought she was happy with him, but the smile on her face let him know she was only comfortable and content with him. Never truly happy, or at least that how he saw it.

Dean came out of the bathroom now dressed in jeans and a t-shirt as he sat down at the table and bit into his lukewarm hamburger. "Mm that's good." He sighed with a mouth full of burger and Mia smiled at him as he chewed. "When are you gonna make goulash again?" he asked after he swallowed. "I miss your cooking." He admitted.

She laughed, knowing it was probably truer than they knew. "When we stop somewhere with a decent kitchen." She answered before she realized her stomach was growling and opened the box that Sam hand handed her earlier. They had a pleasant meal then watched a movie before they turned in for the night.

As they laid down that night, she laid on her side and Dean wrapped his arm around her waist to rest his hand on her stomach. He felt the baby move a few times before he passed out into an unfortunately un-peaceful sleep.


	28. Chapter 28

Disclaimer: See chapter one.

**Sleeping With The Ally**

**Chapter 28**: Monster Movie

—October 4th.—32 weeks pregnant.—

"The radio around here sucks." Dean said as he clicked off the suspenseful horror movie sound track type music that was playing. "Come on man. Jobs don't get much sweeter than this." he said to his brother who sat in the back seat reading something with a flashlight.

"Yeah, Sam. How often do we come across a cut and dry case like this one? I mean, the vic's neck was chewed on and her body was completely drained of blood." Mia spoke up from where she sat in the passenger seat.

"And a witness who swears up and down that it was a vampire." Dean added.

"No, I agree. It's a hell of a case." Sam said sounding very uninterested.

"A little more gusto, please." Dean said as he looked at his brother in the rear view mirror.

"It's just…the world is coming to an end. Things are a little complicated." Sam said with a glance at Maria.

"Well, we can't save the world. Not today, anyway." Dean said also giving Mia a look. He knew that if the world did end it would mean that they would be raising their baby in the apocalypse. "But what we _can_ do is chop off some vamps' heads."

"Come on, Sam. When was the last time you guys went on an honest-to-goodness, plain ole monster hunt?" Mia asked, putting her arm across the back of the seat to turn and look at Sam.

"Like the good old days." Dean added and Mia smiled at him. "It's about time the Winchesters got back to tackling a straightforward, black-and-white case." Dean said and Sam sighed, but agreed.

* * *

The next morning they woke up and got dressed in their FBI attire. Dean was surprised that Mia could still look so professional with such a big belly. When they got into town they found that Oktoberfest was in full swing. Polka music played and people in costumes walked the streets. "We still gotta see the new Raiders movie." Dean said as they passed the movie theater.

"Saw it." Sam said.

Dean gave him a surprised look. "Without me?" he asked unbelievingly.

"You were in hell." Sam answered.

"It's no excuse." Dean answered before he looked at Mia and shook his head as he pointed at Sam.

"I haven't seen it yet." Mia said hoping to put the idea of a date in Dean's head.

"Well then, how about if we aren't busy tonight I take you out on our first official date and we go see it?" he asked bringing a smile to her face. "Ooh big pretzel." Dean said, his A.D.D. kicking in as he made a bee line for the pretzel stand.

Mia and Sam just smiled and shook their heads before they met Dean at the stand and he handed them each a pretzel. Maria stood next to Sam as she took a bite out of her pretzel and a blond in a short dress walked by catching Dean's gaze. "Guten tag." She greeted in a flirty voice.

"Guten tag yourself." Dean said with a mouth full of pretzel and Mia stepped across Sam to hit Dean on the shoulder. "What?" he asked innocently.

"Just because I'm fat doesn't mean you can hit on other women." She scolded him and he rolled his eyes.

"You're not fat, you're pregnant." Dean replied before he finished chewing and swallowed. "And I bet you'd still be sexy as hell in one of those dresses." He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her close to rest her back against his chest.

Sam cleared his throat uncomfortably before he nodded to the sheriff not too far away from them. "Looks like that's our man." He said before he headed over to him. "Sheriff Deitrich?" Sam asked getting his attention.

Mia nudged Dean, silently telling him to stop stuffing his face with the pretzel. "Are you the boys from the fed?" Sheriff Dietrich asked.

"Agents Angus, Young and Wynett." Sam introduced them as he and Mia flashed their badges. Dean had to lick his fingers clean of pretzel salt before he pulled his badge out of his coat pocket and flashed it.

"You're a bit far along to be working a case aren't you?" the sheriff asked Maria as he eyed her baby bump.

She just laughed and ran a hand over her dress shirt covered stomach. "This is gonna be my last case before I go on maternity leave." Her words caught Dean off guard and he gave her a questioning look. She waved him off as Sam picked up the conversational stick.

"We called ahead about your, uh, problem." He said getting back on topic.

"Right, uh…" The sheriff said looking around at the crowd that had gathered for the festival. "I tell you what. Why don't we talk this out away from the crowd?" he asked and they agreed so they followed him to the station.

They watched as the sheriff pulled the victim out of the vault. "Marissa Wright, 26. Just up from Larkin for the fest." He informed them before he looked down at the body and tisked. "Terrible. Just terrible. I mean, it's the last thing this town needs in the peak of tourist season."

"Definitely the last thing Marissa Wright needed." Sam said with a look at the sheriff.

Dean reached over and turned the woman's neck to the side. "What the…" Mia started.

"Hell?" Dean finished. All three of them looked at the two vertical holes in the side of her neck with confused faces. These were not the markings of a legit vamp.

"Hey, you got me. I mean, this killer's some kid of grade-A wacko, right?" the sheriff asked while the three of them exchanged confused looks. "I mean, some Satan-worshipping, Anne Rice-reading gothic psycho vampire-wannabe?" the sheriff said.

"Sheriff, in your report, you mentioned a witness?" Dean asked.

The sheriff tucked his hands into his pockets with a sigh. "Yeah, I wished I didn't, but the witness insisted. That's Ed Brewer. Not exactly what you'd call reliable." The sheriff explained and when they asked where they could find Ed they were directed to a local bar and grill.

Of course when they walked into the place polka music filled their ears. When they made their way to the bar they came face to face with the woman that Dean had checked out earlier. "I remember you." She greeted with a flirty smile at Dean.

"Yeah, and I remember you…Jamie." He stalled until he saw her name tag that was pinned right next to her breasts. "I never forget a pretty…" he looked her up and down, "everything."

When Jamie looked down, pretending to be flattered, Mia elbowed Dean in the side. He just looked down at her with a smile and she gave him a glare that made the smile fade.

"We're looking for Ed Brewer." Sam stated, getting back to the reason they had come here.

"What do you want with Ed?" Jamie asked as she crossed her arms over her stomach.

"Well, we are, uh, ahem, federal agents." Dean said and they all pulled out their badges and flashed them to her. "Mr. Brewer was witness to a serious crime. We just need to-"

"Wait a minute, you're a fed?" Jamie asked with a smile that said she didn't believe him and Dean just shrugged. "Wow, you don't come on like a fed." She cleared her throat before she asked "Seriously?"

"Well, does he come off as someone who's engaged?" Mia asked as she reached up and brushed a loose, short, wavy lock of hair behind her ear with her left hand, flashing the ring on her finger. "because he _seriously_ is." Mia said with an attitude induced sway of her head.

"So where can we find Mr. Brewer?" Sam asked breaking the tension and Jamie pointed to a skinny middle aged man with a slightly receding hair line.

Dean slid into the booth and Mia sat next to him leaving Sam to sit next to Ed. As soon as they introduced themselves Ed took a swig from his giant German beer mug, closed the lid and swiped his hand over his mouth noisily. "I told the cops everything I saw." He said talking and moving his hands as if he were trying to be mysterious. "No one believes me. Why should you be any different?" he said pointing his finger at them jerkily.

"Believe me, Mr. Brewer. We're different." Dean answered with a smirk.

Ed just looked at them for a minute. _He looks like he's about to fall asleep._ Mia thought to herself and Sam gave her and Dean a look that told them he thought the guy was weird. "I spoke the God's-honest truth, and now I'm the town joke." Ed said with a look around.

"Marissa Wright's murder is no joke to us." Sam spoke up getting Ed's weird glare turned on him. "And we wanna hear everything, no matter how strange it may seem."

"We have a lot of experience with strange." Dean said and Ed looked to her expecting her to say something.

"Strange is kina our specialty." She added and Dean gave her a smirk across his shoulder.

Ed gave them a nod before he took another quick swig of his beer and swiped his hand over his over his mouth again. He gave them thumbs up before he pointed at them. "It was just after midnight. I just left here and like I do every night, I cut through the park on the way home." He spoke as if he were telling a scary story and walked his fingers across the table. "At first I thought it was a couple kissing. But she was…" he looked down at the table as he brought his hands up to his neck, palms out, then made a pushing motion, "struggling too much. And this man, he was… well he was biting her neck." He finished with a strange nod at them.

"What did the man look like? Can you describe him?" Maria asked nicely.

"Oh, he was a vampire." He answered with a confident point at her.

"Okay, right. And by that you mean…?" Dean asked.

"You know… A vampire." Ed said talking yet again with his hand before he lifted up them to his mouth, made fangs with his fingers and hissed at them.

"Uh…huh…" Mia said as she looked at Dean then Sam with wide eyes.

"So he looked like-" Dean started.

"He looked like a vampire." Ed interrupted. "You know, with the fangs, and the slicked-back hair, and the fancy cape and the little medallion thingy on the ribbon." He animated everything with his hands. He even made the motion of tightening the ribbon around his neck.

"Like Dracula?" Mia and Dean asked at the same time and they smiled at each other making Sam roll his eyes.

"Exactly. Like a Dracula." Ed confirmed. "Right down to the accent."

"The accent?" Sam asked with a smile before the smile faded and he asked, "What did he say?"

"You know, something like…" Ed tossed his arm over his face as if he were holding up a cape to cover it. "Stay away, mortal. The night is mine!" They couldn't help but stare at him as if he were crazy. "You do believe me, don't you?" he asked.

They told him that they thought it was just an actor killing people before they excused themselves. Mia hung back and watched as Dean ordered a beer from the blond bartender before she and Sam caught up with him. She noticed Sam pick up a napkin with lipstick blotted on it before Dean spoke up. "So what do you guys think? Goth psycho vampire-wannabe, right?" he asked.

"Definitely not our kind of case." Sam said before he sighed.

"Agreed, but who cares? Room's paid for and it's Oktoberfest. Come on brother, beer and bar wenches." Dean said as Mia slid into a booth and he slid in next to her. She elbowed him in the side, yet again. "What?" he asked with a shrug and she glared at him. "The wenches are for Sam."

"Uh huh." She said with an eye roll.

"Pretty sure women today don't react well to the whole wench thing." Sam said.

Dean just stared at him before he licked his lips and looked over the booth to where the blond was pouring beer. "Hey, Bar Wench, where's that beer?" he called.

"Coming up good sir." Mia watched Jamie call with a smile and she rolled her eyes while Sam shut his and shook his head.

"Dude, Oktoberfest." Dean said cockily before he turned to Mia to see her glaring at him.

But when Jamie walked up they all looked at her. "There you go. What can I get you?" she asked Sam.

"Oh, he doesn't drink. He's Christian Scientist. Yeah, doesn't even take aspirin. It's a real drag on stakeouts." Dean said with a smirk.

Jamie giggled and said "You're funny."

Mia cleared her throat getting Jamie's attention as she tucked her fist under her chin and cocked her head to the side. "What you can get me is a nice tall glass of stop flirting with my Fiancé." Jamie scoffed and looked at Mia through glaring eyes.

"Mia." Dean said in a scolding manner before he gave Jamie and apologetic smile.

"We're good. You can go now Bar Wench." She said not breaking her glare on the woman. Jamie walked away with a sigh.

"Why are you being so mean?" Dean asked and Sam fidgeted in his seat.

"Why are you being such a flirt?" she countered with a hard look.

"I thought I was always a flirt." He said with a confused look. Mia just looked at him like he was stupid.

"No you always looked. You never flirted before, not this much." Mia argued.

"Okay, well you two can stay here and hash it out. I'm gonna go get some sleep." Sam interrupted and slid out of the booth leaving them alone.

"Look, Mia, I'm sorry. But look at me. I came back from the furnace without any of my old scars, right?" he asked and she just stared at him. "No bullet wounds, knife cuts. None of the off-angle fingers from all the breaks. I mean my hide is as smooth as a baby's bottom." He said.

"I know, I've touched it." she said and he smirked at her. "What's your point?"

"This leads me to conclude, sadly, that my virginity was intact." He said before he lifted his beer to his lips and took a drink.

"What?" Mia asked with a crinkled brow and a shake of her head.

"I was re-hymenated." he explained with a smirk.

Mia just stared at him. "What? Eer, Dean." She stumbled over her anger. "You're so stupid." She said talking with her hands. "Males don't have hymens and you're not a virgin." She said before she tried to slide out of the booth but he didn't let her.

He wrapped his arm around her shoulders, hugging her even though she tried to push him back. "Yeah, cause you popped my cherry." he whispered.

This time when she pushed back from him he let her. "I hate that expression." She said with a glare at him and when he didn't say anything she kept talking "So you're telling me that you've technically only slept with me?" she asked with a glare and he nodded. "Okay, so say I believe you and you'd been…"

"Re-hymenated." He finished for her.

She scoffed at him. "Whatever, did you ever think that maybe you should do it right this time and give your v card to the person you extend to marry?" she asked.

"I did."

"_Only_ the woman you're going to marry?" she countered.

"Yeah, I did." He said with a nod and a smile.

"You're not making any sense Dean." She said with a confused and aggravated glare and he just looked at her with his cocky smirk. "I'm only gonna ask one more time. Why are you being such a flirt?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. I guess I kind of missed it when I was in hell." He said before he picked up his beer and took another drink.

She just looked at him for a minute, thinking about what she should do with this confusing, too-good-looking-for-his-own-good, man. "Then flirt with _me_." she said making him look at her. "And only me. I can't stop you from looking, but if I catch you flirting with another woman again,-" she was cut off when he kissed her.

"I'm sorry. No flirting with other women. I got it." he whispered with his forehead pressed to hers. "So we going on that date tonight?" he asked as he leaned away from her.

She grabbed his hand and looked at his watch. "No, the last showing started twenty minutes ago. Maybe tomorrow night." She sighed before she leaned her head over on his chest with a sigh.

* * *

While the three of them slept that night a couple of teenagers who were making out in a car were attacked by a werewolf. The male died and they were now interviewing the girl. Mia rolled her eyes at the girl who sipped noisily through the straw of her large drink. "and then it just… it just tore Rick to little pieces." She said once she sat the drink down.

They were in the town square, sitting at a patio table. Mia sighed and shifted uncomfortably in the unpadded metal chair. "Ma'am, we understand how hard this is, but could you describe the creature?" Dean asked.

The teenager said "Oh," before she took another noisy sip of her drink. "it was a werewolf." She answered looking comically scared.

Mia crinkled her brow and looked at Dean and Sam to see that they were both just as confused as she was. "A werewolf?" Sam asked.

The girl hummed out a positive answer. "You're positive?" Mia asked sitting up straighter.

"Oh yeah. With the furry face, and the black nose and the claws and… and the torn up pants and shirt." The teen explained making Mia crease her brows and scratch her head. "Like from the old movies."

Mia looked at Dean to see him staring at the girl. Mia knew he was probably thinking "_You've got to be kidding me_."

Mia was speechless while Sam just said "um…"

"Whoa, okay, so…" Dean finally snapped out of his confused daze. He looked at the ground for a second, trying to come up with the right thing to say before he looked at the girl and said "Thank you for your time."

With that they got up and walked away. They were passing the classic white gazebo in the town square when a thought occurred to Mia. "Hey Dean." She said as she stopped and placed a hand on the white floor of the gazebo that was hip level with her.

"Yeah?" he asked as he and Sam stopped walking and turned to her.

"Are we ever gonna have an actual wedding?" she asked, looking from the gazebo to meet his green eyes.

"I don't know, I haven't had a chance to think about it much." He blinked at her and she could tell he was lying. "Why?"

"Because something like this," she looked at the gazebo and patted the white leg of the railing, "is what I'd want."

"A gazebo?" he asked, squinting at her both in the bright sun and because he was wondering where this was coming from.

"Yeah." She grabbed his hand and started walking to the front of it. "Picture it, later in the evening, covered with red roses and lit up with white lights." She stopped walking and stood back picturing it in her own head. When she looked away from the gazebo to Dean she saw him staring at it with his head cocked to the side and a distant look on his face. Now that she thought about it, a normal wedding was just a dream that wouldn't happen. So she grabbed his hand again, getting his attention. "But for now we have a case to work."

He didn't say anything. He just nodded his head and they started walking again.

* * *

"First a Dracula, and now a full-on movie-time wolf man?" Dean asked as they headed into the morgue of the police station. "What the hell's goin' on in this town?" he asked and Mia drew the boys attention her way when she found the vault with Rick's name on it. Sam pulled him out and unzipped the body bag. All three of them crinkled their noses at the horrid smell and sight. "Damn." Dean said with a crinkled brow look at what used to be Rick. Mia covered her mouth and walked a few feet away. "Mia, you good?" he asked.

She dropped her hand and got a hold of herself before she turned and gave him a small smile. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just needed a second is all." She waved off both his and Sam's concerned looks as she walked back over to look at the victim.

"Alright." Sam said as he pulled out a pencil and started poking around at the body. "Whatever did this, wasn't a psycho wannabe." He said as he picked up a piece of what looked like wet moss before he tossed it back down and continued poking. "Look at those bite marks, right down to the bone and deeper."

"So whatever this thing was, was strong enough to rip a man completely apart." Mia thought out loud.

"Could be a werewolf." Dean added with a look between her and Sam.

"Wait, no." Mia said as she held her hand out for the pencil that Sam as still holding and he handed it to her. She pushed a broken piece of rib aside. "The heart is still there and intact." She pointed out then handed the pencil back to Sam.

"They never leave the heart behind." Sam said giving his brother and Mia a confused look.

"Thus, I reiterate. What the hell is going on?" Dean asked, sounding as aggravated as Mia felt.

"Well, I was hoping you guys could tell me." Sheriff Dietrich said as he walked in. He held up an envelope and sighed. "Just got a rush job back from the lab on those fibers we found on the body." He pulled a zip lock bag of hair out of it. "Canine, wolf hairs."

Mia looked from the sheriff to Dean so see him open his mouth to say something but stopped and thought for a second before he said, "I'm getting a headache." and rubbed his eyes.

They said their goodbyes to the sheriff before they headed to the bar for lunch. "I don't know, guys. It looks like we've stumbled onto a…a midnight showing of Dracula Meets Wolf Man." Dean said before he took a drink of his beer.

"I don't know. I mean, Wolf Man seems real enough." Sam said.

"Yeah and if Wolf Man is real, stands to reason that Dracula is too." Mia chimed in before she took a bite of a cheese fry.

"Yeah, but werewolf's don't grow wolf hair. That's just a myth." Dean said and Mia shrugged. "So what, we've got a vampire and a werewolf monster-mashing this town?" Dean asked before the waitress from the night before, Jamie, brought the boys their beer.

"Ahh, looks like ya'll are staying a while." She said with a smile before she looked at Mia and almost sneered. But her smile came back as she turned her eyes back to the boys. "I heard about Rick Deacon."

"Yeah, I thought this case wasn't weird enough for our department before, but it just got really weird." Dean said with a smile as he wrapped his arm around Mia's shoulder.

"Well, the beers are on me." she said and started to walk away, but turned back to give Dean a smile. "And just in case she gets to be too bitchy for you, I get off at midnight tonight."

Mia scoffed and was about to tell the waitress off when Dean's hand slipped from her shoulder to cover her mouth. "Oh, I already have a date tonight. I'm goin' to see the new Raiders movie with my fiancée." She gave Jamie one of his smug smiles and uncovered Mia's mouth.

"Well, the offer still stands." She said with a smile then walked away.

"The nerve of that woman, I swear." Mia said as she glared after Jamie. "Thanks for sticking up for me though." She told Dean with a smile and a nudge of her elbow.

He smiled at her as he picked up his beer then asked, "Hey, you think this Dracula can turn into a bat? That'd be cool." He took a drink of his beer, leaving a foam mustache. Mia laughed and wiped it away with her napkin.

* * *

Mia and Dean were getting dressed for their date when Dean's phone started ringing. He cursed as he saw the sheriff's number on the screen. "Hello?" he answered while buttoning his shirt. "A mummy?" he asked with a crinkled brow as he looked at the floor. "Yeah, one of my partner's will be there soon." He said before he closed the phone and turned to Mia with a sigh.

"What happened?" she asked, thinking their date was off.

"A museum night guard was killed by a mummy." He explained. "Sam's gonna go check it out. We're going on this date rather this monster wants us to or not." He said determined as he slid on his shoes and headed to his brother's room.

So while Mia and Dean watched the new Raiders movie, Sam investigated the killer mummy scene.

"So you wanna get married under a lighted gazebo huh?" he asked as they left the theater hand in hand.

"Yeah." She said with a smile at the ground. "Too cheesy?" she asked as she looked up at Dean.

"No, I like it." he answered as they walked down the sidewalk with no destination in mind. "We could do it here if you want." He suggested, making her look at him like he was crazy. "At that gazebo." He nodded to the town square.

"We could, but-"

"There's that word again." He sighed making her bump him with her shoulder.

"I'm fat Dean. I don't want to look back at our wedding photos and see a big white lace covered pregnancy belly." She explained.

"You look beautiful, not fat." He said with an eye roll.

"Thanks, but regardless." She stated, letting him know she wouldn't change her mind. She had opened her mouth to say something else when they heard a scream come from the ally up ahead. Dean ran over just in time to catch Jamie who ran into him.

Dean had just pushed Jamie toward Mia when Dracula came out of the ally. "Son of a-" Mia started.

"Bitch." Dean finished as he stared at Dracula.

"You should not use such language in the presence of my bride." Dracula said in a fake accent as he neared Dean with his black cape held over his face.

"Yeah, okay." Dean said with an eye roll before he punched Dracula in the face. Dracula looked back up at Dean with a hiss, revealing typical, fake looking fangs. Dean tried to punch him again, but Dracula blocked his punches and grabbed him by the shirt collar to push him against the wall.

"Mia, run!" Dean yelled. "Jamie, go with her."

So she grabbed Jamie by the sleeve of her jacket and pulled. "Come on." Jamie, surprisingly went with her. "Where can we go that's safe?" Mia asked and Jamie said that they could go to the bar so that's where they went. Soon her phone started ringing and she flipped it open, knowing that it was Dean. "Hey, are you okay?" she asked, looking at Jamie where she sat in one of the booths looking freaked out and out of breath from running.

"Yeah, I'm fine. What about you, are you okay? Where are you?" he asked, making Mia smile.

"I'm fine. We're at the bar." She answered.

"Okay, be there in a sec. and I love you."

"I love you too, Dean." She replied with a smile and hung up.

"You know, you don't look so mean when you actually smile." Jamie said nonchalantly.

Mia scowled and was about to say something back when Dean walked in getting their attention. "Well, I think I know what we're dealing with now." Dean said as he walked over to Mia and held his hand out. "Look familiar?" he asked.

Mia looked down at the slimy ear in Dean's hand with a disgusted face. "Not really no."

"Feel it." he said with a straight face that told her he wasn't kidding.

So she reached out a hand and ran her hand over the nasty ear. "Shifter." She said with realization on her face. She only knew what shifter skin felt like because the first time her and her mother hunted a shifter she slipped in its shed heap of slime and skin. It wasn't a moment she liked to remember, but it was one that was hard to forget.

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure." Dean confirmed before they both turned to Jamie to see her looking at them with a question mark face. "I called Sam and he's on his way." He informed them.

"Um, I think I need a drink. Can I get you guys anything?" Jamie asked and Dean told her he could use some whiskey.

"You guys all right?" Sam asked as he walked in the bar and found the three of them sitting at a booth.

"Yeah, I think so." Dean said as he gave him a look. "And I think we know what's going on."

"Yeah?" Sam asked.

"Part of it at least." Dean said as he tossed the towel covered ear onto the table.

Mia watched as Sam unwrapped it and he and Jamie cringed. "Uh, the ear part?" he asked.

"Ripped it off Dracula's head. Touch it." Dean said and Sam scoffed thinking Dean was playing, but when Dean didn't laugh Sam touched the ear. "Feel familiar to you?"

Sam's face went from disgusted to one of realization. "Oh, man."

"Skin of a shape shifter. Just like St. Louis and just like Milwaukee." Dean said as he grabbed his glass of whiskey and took a drink.

"Except this one is loonier than a road lizard." Mia said making them all look at her questioningly.

"Loonier than a road lizard?" Jamie asked.

"What? I grew up in the south, gim'me a break." She said with a shrug before she turned her attention back to the boys.

"Oh, and I uh…this." Dean pulled the neck ribbon out of his pocket. "I pulled it off during the fight." He handed it to Sam. "Look at the label on the ribbon."

Sam flipped the end of the ribbon over. "It's a costume rental."

"Our movie monsters are all same thing." Mia told Sam.

"And we need to catch this freak before he Creature-From-the-Black-Lagoons somebody." Dean said as he grabbed the bottle, pored himself another whiskey and drank it.

"So, you guys are like Mulder, Mulder and Scully or something?" Jamie asked as she looked at Sam, Dean then Mia. "And the x-files are real?" she looked at Dean for an answer.

Dean hummed out a laugh. "No, The X Files is a Tv show. This is real."

Jamie said "Oh" then gave Dean a smile that called him a smart ass. In return she got a smart ass smile from Dean before he took a drink of his whiskey.

"Okay, so the stagecraft, the costuming…" Sam said as he walked over to the bar that was across from the booth the other three people sat in. "It's like he's trying to reenact his favorite monster-movie moments. Right down to the bloody murders." He said as she turned back to look at Mia and Dean.

"Wait a second, who the hell is Mina?" Jamie interrupted to ask.

"Mina?" Sam and Mia asked at the same time.

"Yeah, it's what he called Jamie." Dean said with a point at Jamie. "And he called me Mr. Harker."

"Jonathan Harker?" Sam asked and Dean and Mia gave him an I-don't-know look. "They're characters from the movies and the novels. Mina, Dracula's intended bride, Harker, the fiancé that stands in the way." Sam explained and Mia rolled her eyes. She opened her mouth to say something, but Sam kept talking while looking at Jamie. "Seems like he's fixating on you, like he sees you as his bride."

"Well, lucky me." Jamie said with a nervous laugh as she grabbed the bottle of whiskey and pored herself another drink.

"But to fixate on you my guess is that the shifter has to have seen you before or been around you." Sam explained while Mia just stared at Jamie.

"Jamie, has anybody strange come to town? Somebody that has taken specific notice of you?" Dean asked.

"I don't know, Dean. It's Oktoberfest. I'm a bartender… there's lots of people. I-" Jamie answered and Mia rolled her eyes. This chick thought highly of herself it seemed. "Wait a second, there's Ed."

"Ed Brewer, Ed?" Sam asked.

"Yeah. He moved here about a month ago. Lucy swears he has a crush on me. He comes in almost every night." Jamie explained and Dean gave Mia a look before he turned to give one to his brother. "But, you know, I don't think he's the type of guy that-"

"Where's Ed live?" Mia interrupted Jamie just to get her to stop talking.

"I don't know. But he works at the old movie theater. I think he's the projectionist there." Jamie explained.

Dean looked at Sam and pointed to the door. "Take care of Mina?" Sam asked.

"Yep." Dean answered and Sam headed out to go find Ed.

Jamie being uncomfortable from all the weirdness going on around her got up and started pacing. "So, monsters are real?"

"Yeah. The majority of them anyways." Mia answered and Dean sat up straighter and put his arm around her shoulders.

"And this shapeshifter… he can turn into different people?" she asked still pacing away from the couple in the booth.

"Yeah." Dean answered this time. "Except this one's turning into the great monsters of screenland, which is a new one for me."

Jamie turned back to the couple and asked, "You're not really FBI are you?"

"Yeah…no." Mia drawled with a shake of her head and a look up at the ceiling.

"So…This is what you do? You and you're fiancée and your other partner… you just tramp across the country on your own dime until you find some horrible nightmare to fight?" Jamie asked as she started pacing again.

Mia watched Dean shrug. "Some people paint."

"Wait so…." Jamie said with suspicious eyes as she looked Mia then at Dean. "If the rest of it was a lie then are you two really even engaged?" she asked.

Mia scoffed before she grabbed Dean by his shirt collar and pulled him in for a kiss. Just like she wanted him to Dean kissed her back passionately and for a second, they got lost in each other. They only stopped when Jamie cleared her throat. Dean didn't look away from Mia's eyes as he answered, "Oh, yeah, we're really engaged."

"A simple yes would've worked." Jamie grumbled before she got quiet with thought. Mia and Dean started at their intertwined fingers where their hands sat on the table. "Wow." Made both of them look up at her.

"What?" Dean asked, wanting to know what she was thinking.

"It's just…" Jamie started with a smile, "That must suck."

"Excuse me?" Mia asked, thinking that Jamie was talking about Mia and Dean being together.

"I mean… Your job… You're giving up your life for this terrible…I don't know, responsibility." Jamie explained and Mia stopped glaring.

"Last few years…I started thinking that way." Dean answered since Jamie was clearly just talking to him. "And uh, you know it started…started sort of weighing on me. Of course that was before…" Dean looked at Mia and placed his hand on her belly. "Everything." With that one word Mia knew he meant before her pregnancy and before hell. He looked back at Jamie and chuckled. "But a little while ago, I had this… let's call it a near-death experience. Very near." Dean wrote off his going to hell as a near death experience. Jamie sighed and slid into the opposite side of the booth to sit across from Dean. "And uh…when I came to…things were different. My life's been different. I realized that we help people. Not just help them though, we save them." Dean said with a look at Mia that told her just how much he loved her. "And I gotta say, it's awesome." He smiled at her before he turned back to Jamie. "It's kinda like a gift. Like a mission. Kinda like a mission from God." When Dean said this, Mia gave his hand a small squeeze. He squeezed it back. "I don't know how I'd do it without this woman at my side." He said more to Mia than Jamie before he leaned in for another kiss.

Just like before they forgot Jamie was even in the room and got lost in each other. Dean's hands rested on Mia's hips while her fingers were laced together behind his neck. But when the light was flicked up they looked away from each other to see an uncomfortable looking Jamie and the dark haired bartender, Lucy, standing behind the bar.

"Holy crap, Jamie, I thought you were gone for the night." Lucy said with a bottle of Jack in her hand. "Oh my god, were you about to have a threesome?" Lucy asked with a shocked expression.

Mia scoffed as Dean said, "God I hope so." This earned him a hard slap on the arm.

"I'm so sorry-" Lucy started.

"Lucy, it's okay, listen-" Jamie interrupted.

"You know what, I just came to borrow a bottle. I kinda got something going on back at my…" Lucy trailed off. "anyway, you guys look really busy. So I'm just gonna get out of your hair."

"No, seriously, Lucy. It's been a crazy night. Stay for a drink." Jamie said making Lucy stop. "Please." Jamie practically begged for Lucy to stay so that she wouldn't have to put up with Mia and Dean making out like a couple of teens.

"Mia, would you like me to fix you something to drink, coke or water or something?" Lucy asked and Mia told her that a coke would be fine. So Lucy fixed it for her and while they drank, Jamie and Dean told Lucy about Dracula attacking her. "Oh, that sounds awful. Jamie, honey, are you okay?" Lucy asked.

"I'm fine. He didn't even touch me." Jamie slurred making Mia look at her curiously. "And, Dean, he just, heh, flew right in and fought him off." Jamie drunkenly boxed at the air.

"Well, I didn't actually fly. But I'm sure it seemed that way at the time." Dean said as his body swayed back and forth. Now Mia really knew something was up. Dean hadn't drank enough to be as tipsy as he was.

"Hey, Dean, you feelin' okay, you're not usually…" Mia trailed off as her vision started to blur. "Dean?" Mia asked putting a hand on his shoulder, making him look at her. But when he did her face began to spin dizzily. "What did you do to us you bitch?" Mia asked before Dean punched Lucy in the face.

Lucy fell out of the booth and not two seconds later Jamie passed out, hitting her head on the wall as she fell sideways. "It's you isn't it?" Mia heard Dean asked and she looked at him to see him standing over Lucy. This was the last thing she saw before she too fell into a world of black.

* * *

Bright light hit Mia's eyes when she woke up. Her head throbbed and as she looked around she realized she was in their hotel room. "Where's Dean?" she asked herself as she got up off the bed and swayed from side to side dizzy from whatever it was that Lucy gave them. She fished her cell out of her pocket and tried to call Dean, but it went straight to voice mail. So she tried Sam.

"Hey, Maria, where are you?" Sam asked after the third ring.

"I'm at the hotel. Sam, it's Lucy." She said in a rush as she paced the small room.

"Yeah I know. I went to the bar to find you guys and you weren't there. I saw her lipstick on a napkin and assumed." He explained quietly.

"Okay, just…be careful." She said before she hung up and started pacing the room. She hated this… Not being able to help save Dean. It made her feel useless. "At least I can keep you safe." She whispered as she ran her hands over her itching belly.

An hour later Dean and Sam walked in the door. As soon as she saw they Dean was fine she threw her arms around him, hugging him tight. "Thank god you're okay." She sighed as she wrapped her arms around his waist and buried her face in his neck. When she finally pulled back to look at him again, she noticed his change of clothes. "Are you wearing lederhosen?" she asked, trying and failing to hold back her giggles.

"Don't ask." He said before he silenced her giggles with a kiss.

* * *

"So you don't want to work any more cases?" Dean asked.

Mia had been wondering when he was going to ask about what she had told the sheriff about it being her last case. "I do, but I'm almost 33 weeks along." She said as she turned in the front seat of the Impala to face Dean. Sam was in the store getting snacks and paying for gas. "Womanly instinct is telling me to set up house somewhere and prepare a place in this world for our child."

"Well, can't you just tell womanly instinct to kiss your ass?" Dean ask making Mia roll her eyes and looked at him through her lashes with a tilted head.

"Dean, be serious."

"I am being serious. I don't want to leave your side. I've missed enough of your pregnancy and I don't want to miss anything else." He said finally getting serious.

Sam made them both jump when he pulled open the back driver's side door and slid in with a paper bag in his hands. "Okay, fine." She said turning to be straight in her seat and putting on her seat belt.

Dean smiled at her as he leaned across the seat and kissed her on the cheek. She smiled back as she watched him sit up straight and start the car.


	29. Chapter 29-Yellow Fever

Disclaimer: See Chapter one.

**Sleeping With The Ally**

**Chapter 29:** Yellow Fever

—October 11th—33 Weeks Pregnant—

Mia sat up on the side of the hotel room bed with a yawn then looked over her shoulder at her sleeping fiancé. His eyes danced behind his lids and small pants left his slightly parted lips. Mia's brows knit together as she turned in the bed to sit cross legged facing him. "Okay, so I have powers that didn't come from yellow eyes… let's see if it can use them to help you." she whispered to Dean, knowing he wouldn't wake up.

With a hesitant hand she reached out and placed her palm on Dean's sweating temple. The screams and yells of tortured people hit her ears and she knew that if she closed her eyes she'd be able to see what he was dreaming about, but she really didn't want to. So without closing her eyes she focused on Dean and the screams she was hearing and willed them to leave her head and Dean's. After a moment the sounds faded from her head and as they did the crease in Dean's brow and his pants and grunts of discomforts disappeared.

Seeing that he was now sleeping comfortably she turned to stare at her reflection in the blank screen of the tv that sat across from the foot of their bed. _"If I can do that to Dean, what else can I do?"_ she asked herself before she looked away from the tv and stood up with a stretch. As she did the baby in her ever growing stomach decided to turn a flip. "I swear you're going to be an acrobat." She whispered to the baby as she rubbed her belly.

She had just stepped out of the shower when she heard Dean's phone going off in the bedroom. With a towel wrapped around her torso she carefully rushed to the noisy phone. Her hand was about to grab it when Dean rolled over and grabbed it with a groan. "Yeah." He answered it without even opening his eyes that he rubbed at with his thumb and middle finger. Seeing that he had the conversation under control and that she had failed to keep him peacefully sleeping, she went to where her bag of clothes sat on the dresser beside the tv stand and started digging for clothes. "Yeah, okay. We'll meet you outside. Yeah, bye." Dean hung up the phone and rolled out of bed. When Mia turned around he encased her in his arms. "I was hoping to lay low for a little while longer, but Sam found another heart attack guy.

"Where?" Mia asked as she rested her arms on his shoulders.

"Rock Ridge, Colorado." He answered before he looked away to yawn, dropped his hands from her hips and headed to his bag where he pulled out a flask and took a drink.

"How did you sleep?" she asked cautiously as he pulled on a pair of pants. She saw the flask in his hands before she pulled a black t-shirt over her head then started putting her things that were laying around the hotel room back into her bag.

"Don't ask, please." He sighed as he too packed up his stuff, getting ready to meet Sam outside.

"I know you don't want to talk about it. I only ask because… I tried to help." She admitted as she tossed the strap of the bag over her shoulder and turned to see Dean looking at her with questioning eyes.

"What do you mean?" he asked, wondering if she had seen what he was dreaming about.

"You were making noises and you looked uncomfortable. I can't stand to see you like that. So I put my hand on your head and I… I don't know how to explain it." she said with a shoulder shrug. "I tried to calm your dreams I guess."

"How long ago did you try to…calm my dreams?" he asked as he crossed his arms uncomfortable over his chest.

"I don't know, maybe thirty minutes ago." She said with a shrug. "Why?"

"It worked." He said and she tilted her head to the side. "I was havin' a nightmare and then all of a sudden…nothing. The dream ended."

"Really?" she asked as she pulled on a zip up hoodie, not bothering to try to zip it up around her belly. When she looked up she saw him nod at her. "Are…are you okay with me trying to help you sleep better?" she asked.

"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?" he asked as he went to the sink at the back of the room and started brushing his teeth.

"I don't know, maybe because when Sam uses his powers you blow up at him." She said then wet her toothbrush and squeezed a strip of toothpaste onto it.

"That's different." He practically snapped at her.

She wanted to ask why, but refrained in order to keep a fight from breaking out between them.

* * *

"Are you sure you're up to this?" Dean asked as they all got out of the Impala dressed in their best.

"Yeah, I'm fine." she replied as she walked around to meet him on the driver's side of the car.

"Because you can wait in the motel if you want to." He added and she rolled her head around to look at him over her shoulder.

"Dean, stop worrying about me. I'm good. Besides, what's the point of being on the road with you if I spend half of the time not with you?" she asked as they started walking toward the building.

"I guess you're right." He sighed as they walked up a few stone steps.

"What? What was that?" she asked in a picking tone and he just shook his head at her. "Did I hear you say I was right about something?"

"Might want to watch it there, Dean, you're starting to sound a little whipped." Sam joked and Dean told him to can it.

After talking to the woman at the front desk, they were led to the back by an older guy in a blue scrubs and a white lab coat. "Agent Tyler, agent Perry, Agent Hill, meet Frank O'Brian." The doctor said as he unzipped the body bag and tucked it around the guys face.

"So Frank died of a heart attack?" Maria asked as she scanned the body.

"Yep, three days ago." The doctor answered.

"But O'Brian was 44 years old and according to this," Sam said as he opened the folder in his hands, "a marathon runner."

"Everybody drops dead sooner or later." The doctor answered. "It's why I got job security."

"Yeah, but Frank kicked it here. Just yesterday, two perfectly healthy men bit it in Maumee, all heart attacks." Dean said, "You don't think that's strange?"

"Sounds like Maumee's problem to me and why does the FBI give a damn anyway?" the doctor popped off and Mia sighed as she shifted back and forth on her feet.

Dean put his hand on her back, calming her as he said, "We just want to see the results of Frank's autopsy."

The doctor looked at them confused, "What autopsy?"

"The one you're gonna do so we can see the results." Mia said, shifting on her feet again as she flashed him a smile.

"Okay, I'll get ready." The doc said then the three of them watched as he put on a protective gpwn and an apron. "I'm gonna need you to put these on." The doc said as he handed them each a gown and apron. They put them on then the doctor got started. "First dead body?" he asked at the look on their faces as he sliced into the guy's stomach.

"Far from it." Dean answered.

The doc looked away from the boys to Mia where she stood further back from the body. "You look like this is your first."

"No, not my first, I'm just a little more squeamish these days." She answered as she sat her hand on her stomach.

"Ah." The doctor said then continued to work. "Then are you sure you want to be in here, these suckers can get pretty ripe." He started pulling the chest open before he looked at Dean and asked, "Hey, hand me those rib cutters, would you?" Dean handed him the cutter and the doctor continued to work.

Mia kicked Dean making him look at her to see her wiggle her fingers then nod to the body. Dean looked at the hand then asked, "Is that from a wedding ring?" as he noticed a light ring around Franks left ring finger. "I didn't think frank was married."

"Ain't my department." The doctor said not looking up from his work.

Sam picked up Franks arm, examining the long deep scratches on his forearm. "Any idea how he got these?" he asked.

"You know what? When you drop dead, you actually tend to drop." The doc said still not looking up from the body. "Body probably got scraped up when it hit the ground." He informed them as he examined Frank's heart. "Huh."

"Huh, what?" Mia asked, taking a step closer to Sam and Dean, now standing between them.

"I can't find any blockages in any of the major arteries." The Doc informed them before he grabbed the heart and twisted, pulling it out of Frank's chest. Both Dean and Mia's faces scrunched up at the sound. "Heart looks pretty damn healthy." He said before he looked at Dean and handed him the heart. "Hold that a second, would you?" Dean took the heart, looking freaked out while Mia and Sam laughed at him. Since he now had both of his hands free the doctor broke a bone, causing blood to squirt Sam in the face. Mia jumped back giving Sam and the doctor a shocked look. "Oh, sorry, spleen juice." He said with a shrug and Mia started smirking at Sam along with Dean.

* * *

Their next stop was the sheriff's office where they now sat across from a young deputy that kept smiling at them too often as if he were nervous. "Hell's bells, Linus, have you seen my-" the sheriff started to ask before he saw the three people sitting outside his office in suits and ties. "Who are they?" he asked as they stood up and Mia put a hand on her back.

"Federal agents." The deputy, Linus, answered nervously.

"And you kept them waiting?" the sheriff asked irritably.

"You said not to disturb." Linus answered and Mia looked between the two, wondering if the sheriff was always this mean to him.

"Come on back, fellas." He said waving them back and Mia cleared her throat. "and lady." The sheriff reluctantly added. Mia gave Linus an encouraging smile as she walked buy, but the sheriff stopped them when they got to the door of his office. "Shoes off."

"Are you kidding me?" Mia asked with raised brows.

"Sorry, germ free zone. Shoes off." The sheriff insisted.

When Dean saw her clench her jaw he stepped up and put a hand on her shoulder. "I'll help you put them back on." he whispered and she continued to glare at the sheriff as she toed off her shoes onto the welcome mat that sat by the door. Sam and Dean did the same before they were allowed to step into the office.

"Al Britton. Good to meet you." the Sheriff told them as he shook Dean's hand, then Sam's.

"You too." Sam said as Al shook Mia's stiff hand then motioned to the two chairs in the room. Dean motioned for her to sit in one of the chairs and Sam sat in the other so Dean stood behind her chair.

They watched as Al picked up a bottle of hand sanitizer, squeezed way too much into his palm, then smeared it in as he looked at them. "So what can I do for uncle Sam?" Al asked after a long awkward moment, and sat down on the other side of the desk.

"Well, we're looking into the death of Frank O'Brian." Sam said and the subtle change in Al's features made Mia wish she could still read minds so she could figure out what the look meant. "We understand some of your men found his body?"

"They did." Al answered, flat faced and Mia couldn't tell if his was keeping his face unemotional to hide his sadness or if he was just that heartless. "Me and Frank…We were friends. Hell, we were Gamecocks." He said and Dean laughed before Al gave him a look and he stopped. "That's our softball team's name." he said defensively and Dean nodded. "They're majestic animals." Dean just looked at him, speechless, before Al let it go. "I knew Frank since high school. To be honest, I just this morning got up the strength to go see him. Frank was… He was a good man."

"Yeah," Dean spoke up and Mia leaned her head back to look up at him, "big heart." Mia glared at him and mouthed the word stupid.

"Before he died, did you notice Frank acting strange?" Sam asked, attempting to get back on topic and break the tension. "Maybe scared of something?"

"Oh, hell, yeah." Al said as he sat up and put his arms on the desk. "Real jumpy."

"You know what scared him?" Sam asked.

"No." Al said with a shake of his head. "Wouldn't answer his phone. Finally sent some of my boys over to check on him and… Well, you know the rest." He said before he started coughing into his hand. When he was done he squeezed more sanitizer into his hands and noisily rubbed them together. "So why do the feds give a crap? You don't really think there's a case here."

"No, no, it's probably nothing. Just a heart attack." Dean said giving him a smile before they got up and said their goodbyes. "There's no way that was a heart attack." Dean said as they headed across the parking lot to the Impala.

"Definitely no way." Sam said, "Three victims all with those same red scratches. All went from jittery to terrified to dead within 48 hours."

"So something scared them to death?" Dean asked.

"Okay, so what can scare someone to death?" Mia asked and Dean glanced over at her.

"What can't? Ghosts, vampires, chupacabra. It could be a hundred things." Dean answered.

"Yeah. So we make a list and start crossing things off." Sam said.

"Alright, who was the last person to see Frank O'Brian alive?" Dean asked.

"That would be Mark Hutchins." Mia spoke up and the boys looked at her wanting more information. "His neighbor." She clarified as they neared the car.

"Hang on, hang on." Dean said as he pulled the two to a halt.

"What?" Mia asked just wanting to get to the car and get off of her feet.

"I don't like the looks of those teenagers down there." Dean said with a glance at four teens on bicycles, hanging out in front of the Impala. Mia and Sam shared a confused look before Dean said, "Lets walk this way." And took off across the street.

"That seem weird to you?" Mia asked and Sam nodded before he took off after his brother.

* * *

"Agents Tyler and Perry. Just like Aerosmith." Mark said from where he sat on an old recliner with a snake wrapped around his shoulders.

"Yeah, small world." Sam said, "So the last time you saw Frank O'Brian…?"

"Monday." Mark answered. "He was watching me from his window." He said with a nod to the window across the room. "I waved at him, but he just closed the curtains."

Mia looked at the window then let her eyes fall over the fish tanks and odd collection of amphibians as they moved back to Mark. She was fully aware of how stiff Dean was where he sat on the couch next to her staring wide eyed at the snake around Mark's shoulders. "Hmm." Sam hummed, "Did you speak to him recently? Did he seem different?" Sam asked with a small shake of his head. "Or scared?"

"Oh, totally. He was freaking out." Mark said before Sam looked across his shoulder at her and Dean.

"Did you happen to have that around your when you spoke to him?" Mia asked with a point at the snake around Marks shoulders.

"Oh, no, the snakes never leave the house." Mark answered with look down at the snake, whose head was resting on Mark's hand.

"Do you know uh…? Do you know what scared him?" Dean asked with an uncomfortable smile. Mia could practically feel the nervous energy radiating off of him.

"Well, yeah, witches." Mark answered as if it were obvious.

"Witches?" Sam and Mia asked at the same time. "Like…" Sam asked.

"Well, Wizard of Oz was on tv the other night, right? And he said that green bitch was totally out to get him." Mark answered as he messed with the snake.

Sam gave her an open mouthed look, neither of them knew what to say and Dean was too busy freaking out. "Anything else scare him?" Sam finally asked.

"Everything else scared him." Mark answered. "Al Qaeda, ferrets, artificial sweetener, those PEZ dispensers with their dead little eyes. Lots of stuff."

Mia noticed Dean looking around at all the critters that were in the room and nudged him with her knee. He jumped and looked at her. "Calm down would ya?" she asked and he just looked down at the floor.

"So tell me, what was Frank like?" Sam asked, ignoring Dean and Mia.

"I mean, he's dead, you know, I don't want to hammer him but… He got better." Mark said hesitantly.

"What do you mean he got better?" Mia asked.

"Well, in highschool he was…he was a dick." Mark said.

"A dick?" Sam asked.

"Like a bully." He answered. "I mean, he probably taped half the town's butt cheeks together." He said and Dean laughed. "Mine included." He added giving Dean a look.

Dean cleared his throat then asked, "So he pissed a lot of people off. You think anyone would have wanted to get revenge?"

"Well, I don't…" Mark started then paused for a second. "Frank had a heart attack, right?"

"Just answer the question, sir." Sam told him.

"No, I don't think so. Like I said, he got better after what happened to his wife."

"His wife?" Dean asked. "So he was married?"

"She died, about 20 years ago. Frank was really broken up about it." Mark answered before Dean gave the snake around Mark's shoulder a scared look making Mark chuckle. "Don't be scared of Donny, he's a sweetheart." He gave a nod at the back of the couch, "It's Marie you gotta look out for. She smells fear."

Mia looked over her shoulder to see a banana colored snake slide down her shoulder. She and Dean looked straight ahead and stiffened. "Um, um, um, can…can you get her off of me please?" she asked with a shaky voice.

* * *

Mia and Dean sat in the Impala, reading over papers while they waited for Sam to get back from Franks house. "Hey, Dean?" Mia asked from the back seat, breaking the silence of the car and he hummed letting her know he was listening. "Are you okay? You've been scratching your arm for the last five minutes."

"Yeah, I'm fine." He answered.

Sam got in the car, breaking up their conversation. "Any luck at the county clerk's office?" he asked.

"I'm not sure I'd call it luck." Dean said.

"Jessie, Franks wife, was a manic depressive." Mia stated.

"She went off her meds back in '88 and vanished. They found her two weeks later, three towns over, strung up in her motel room. Suicide." Dean finished.

"Any chance Frank helped her along to the other side?" Sam asked with a glace between Mia and Dean.

"No, it's impossible." Mia said.

"Frank was working a swing shift when she disappeared." Dean said.

"His alibi's airtight." Mia concluded as Dean cranked the car and took off. "What did you find at Frank's?" She asked Sam.

"Clean. Searched it top to bottom, no EMF, no hex bags, no sulfur." He answered.

"So probably no ghost, no witches, no demons." Dean said. "Three down and 97 to go."

"Freakin' awesome." Mia huffed from the back seat.

"Dude, you're going 20." Sam said making Mia lean up to look at the speedometer.

"And?" Dean asked.

"Since when do you do the speed limit?" Mia asked.

"What? Safety's a crime now?" Dean asked defensively.

"In your book it is." Mia said then leaned back in the seat. A few minutes later they passed the hotel and she sat back up. "Dean, where are you going?"

"Yeah, that was our hotel." Sam added.

"Guys, I'm not gonna make a left-handed turn into oncoming traffic. I'm not suicidal." Dean practically yelled. Sam and Mia gave him a look before they turned their confused gazes on each other. "Did I just say that? That's kind of weird." Dean laughed nervously as the EMF detector in Sam's pocket started going off.

"Sam, your EMF is going off." Mia pointed out and he pulled it out of his pocket to see the red lights moving up and down with the sound.

Sam moved it toward Dean and the sound got louder then moved it back and it eased up. "Am I haunted?" Dean asked as he looked at the road then turned to Sam and practically yelled, "Am I haunted!?"

"Look, Dean, I don't know." Mia spoke up while Sam continued to gape open mouthed at Dean. "But what I do know is that I am tired and my feet are killing me. So can me please go to the motel and get some shut eye?"

"Yeah…yeah, I'll get us to the motel." Dean huffed before he made a u-turn back to the motel.

* * *

The sun was just starting to come up when Mia rolled over in her sleep and put her arm around Dean's torso. High pitched screams invaded her dream as red lights started flashing, taking away her nice, calm dream and replacing it with a nightmare.

_Dean's hands hovered over a table of knives, syringes and a liquids that were illuminated in red, deciding which to choose. His finger wiggled as they moved over the knives, then as they lowered down over a blade she heard him sigh. He didn't want to be there, but his fingers still curled around the knife and picked it up. As he turned, the face of a pretty blond came into view. Her mouth was wide open admitting a loud, shrill scream. "Shut up." Dean hissed as his hand covered her mouth and placed the knife at the nape of her neck, slicing her red illuminated skin open_.

Mia sat straight up in bed, panting as she brushed her hair out of her face and looked on the night stand to see her phone lit up and vibrating. Sam's name was on the screen so she picked it up and eased out of bed, trying not to wake Dean in the process. She padded quietly over to the bathroom and entered, shutting the door behind her then flipped the phone open. "Yeah?" she asked while sleepily tucking her messy hair out of her face.

"Hey, you okay?" he asked, noticing the off tone in her voice.

"Yeah, I'm fine, what's up?" she asked while staring at the bags under her eyes in the bathroom mirror.

"Was wondering if you and Dean wanted to go grab some breakfast." He said and she glanced at the shut door as if she could see Dean through it.

"Dean's still asleep. He hasn't been getting much of that lately and when he does it's not restful." She admitted with a sigh as she sat down on the edge of the tub.

"Nightmares?" Sam asked.

"Yeah, I don't want to wake him, but I could eat." She said as she stood up and tucked her free arms around herself.

"Okay, so I'll meet you at the donut place down the street?" he asked and she hummed out a positive answer. "bye."

"See you, Sam." She said then flipped the phone closed. After easing the bathroom door open she saw that Dean was still sleeping with the blankets now down at his feet while his whole body shook. So she tip toed over to him and softly laid her hand on his clammy head. "Shhh, sleep peacefully. Dream sweet dreams of love and normalcy." She whispered and after a second or two Dean stopped shaking and his hand blindly started searching for the edge of the blankets. So she covered him back up then got dressed in some jeans and a plain black v neck t-shirt.

She pulled her hair up into a messy ponytail as she walked down the street to the donut shop that she had seen the night before. When she walked into the shop she spotted Sam sitting at a booth with a cup of coffee in his hand and another sitting on the other side with sugar and cream packets sitting next to it. "Hey." Sam greeted when he saw her walk up.

"Hey." She greeted back as she slid into the booth then pointed at the coffee. "This for me?"

"Yeah." He told her and she started putting in the creamer and sugar. "I also got these." He slid a box of donuts to her. "There's two strawberry cream filled in there, the rest are plain."

She couldn't resist giving him a small exhausted smile as she opened the box and used a napkin to pick up one of the strawberry donuts, they were her favorite. "Thanks."

Sam smiled back as she took a bite of the donut getting pink frosting on her lip as she did. "So Bobby and I figured out what's going on with Dean." He told her with a sigh.

"Oh, yeah?" she asked and He just watched as she wiped the sticky frosting off of her mouth.

"It's ghost sickness." He said as if she should know what that was. She put the donut down and just looked at him and gave him a shrug. "Some cultures believe spirits can infect the living with disease, which is why they stopped displaying bodies and started taking them to funeral homes."

"Okay, and…?" she asked, waiting for him to get to the point.

"The symptoms are: you get anxious, and scared, then really scared, then your heart gives out. Sound like someone we know?" he asked and Mia nodded.

"Okay, so Dean has ghost sickness. What can we do to help?" she asked then held up her hand to stop him from answering. "Wait, how did he get it, we haven't been around ghosts in…what, weeks." She said before she took a sip of her coffee.

"He didn't catch it from a ghost. Once a spirit infects the first person it spreads like any other sickness." He said and she started thinking, trying to figure out the last sick person they had been around.

"The sheriff, he was coughing like crazy, you think he's infected too? Think he caught it from him?" she asked.

He shrugged. "I don't know, but my guess is that he caught it from the corps. He did hold the heart." Sam said.

"Yeah, but you got hit with the blood. Why aren't you infected, or even me for that matter?" she asked, trying to work things out in her head.

"Yeah, see Bobby and I were wondering the same thing until we realized the disease targets a certain type of person."

"What do you mean?" she asked with a tilted head look at him.

"Well, frank was a bully, the other two victims: One was a vice principal, the other was a bouncer." Sam said and she just shrugged her shoulders again. "They were all dicks." He said and she made an 'oh' face then gave him a questioning look. "Not that Dean's a dick, but they all used fear as a weapon." He explained further.

"So I still don't understand how you're not sick, I mean, you're a dick too." She said with a crinkled, confused brow.

"Oh, thanks for that." He said with a sarcastic smirk at her.

"That's not what I meant, er, well yeah I kinda meant it, but whatever." She rambled then shook her head as if to rid it of her thoughts. "How do we fix Dean?"

"If we gank the ghost that started all of this the disease should clear up."

"So who's the ghost? Franks wife?" Mia asked then picked her donut back up and took a bite.

"That's my guess, I mean she did kill herself." Sam answered then watched Maria nod and take a sip of coffee then another bite of pink donut. He couldn't help but notice that the circles under her eyes had gotten darker. "Maria," he said making her looked up from her donut to him, "You look like you haven't slept in days. What's goin' on with you?"

She chased her donut with a sip of coffee then sat it down on the napkin. "Sam, I told you I'm fine."

"People are never fine when they say their fine, not in this family." He said with his arms folded on top of the table as he looked at her.

"Well, I'm still fine." She told him with a sarcastic head shake.

"Seriously, talk to me." he said and she just picked up her donut and took another bite, ignoring him. "You know you can still do that right? You can talk to me if there's ever anything you can't talk to Dean about."

"No." she said then swallowed. "I can't."

"Why not?" he asked and she looked at him as if he were stupid.

"Are you seriously asking me that right now?" she asked with wide, unbelieving eyes and he just sighed, his hair falling in his face as he did. "I love you, you're gonna be my brother in law one day…" she said while looking into his eyes, "But I do not trust you, not with my personal life." She finished off her donut and grabbed the other one out of the box.

"Maria, I'm sorry." He whispered as he leaned across the table, but she just glared down at him.

"You cheated on me, Sam. No matter how many times you say 'I'm sorry', I will never believe it." she glared at him for a minute then took a sip of coffee. "I mean if you knew you were…into, Ruby or whatever, couldn't you have just called me and broke it off? Told me you couldn't do the long distance thing? Any reason would have worked. Even if it just…happened, with you and her, the way it _just happened_ with us, you still could have come to me and broke it off instead of stringing me along, not knowing where you were or what you were doing or _who_ you were doing it with."

Sam looked at her with watery eyes before he looked around at the few people who were sitting in their booths staring at the two of them. "Maria, people are staring." He said and she just glared at him, waiting for an explanation. He sighed before he whispered, "Look, I loved you, I still do, but…" she scoffed at him. "What?"

"You love me?" she asked sourly and he nodded. "If you loved me you wouldn't have hurt me like that." She picked up her coffee as she slid out of the booth then headed for the door, done with the conversation.

"Maria." He called after her, but she kept on walking so he grabbed his stuff and caught up with her. "Look I didn't call you and break it off because I couldn't. I loved you and she was just-"

"A layover?" She asked with a glare at him then kept walking.

"I never meant to hurt you." he said and she stopped walking and turned to face him.

"Well, you did." she said as loud music, specifically the beginning of eye of the tiger, hit her ears and she looked at the impala to see Dean's fist sticking up in the air from where he was laying in the front seat playing air drums. "Go do something with your brother before he gets the cops called on him for disturbing the peace." She said with a harsh look at him before she headed toward the metal stairs of the motel.

She had just finished washing her face and had started putting on a little eyeliner to make herself look more awake when she heard a knock on their door. So she stuck the brown pencil back in the small cosmetics bag that sat behind the faucet and headed to the door. She was expecting to see Dean thinking that he forgot his key card, but instead she saw Sam, giving her an awkward smile. "Hey."

"Can I help you?" she asked flatly not moving out of the doorframe.

"Yeah, uh, we have to move to the bottom floor." He answered.

"Why?" she asked, confused.

"Because your fiancé is suddenly scared of heights." He explained.

Mia sighed and rested her head on the back of her hand that was still holding the door. "Seriously?"

"Yep." He said as he rocked back on his feet. "Here, I'll help you pack up Dean's stuff." He said motioning toward the room and she hesitantly moved to the side, letting him in. "Oh and I forgot to mention that we only have 24 hours to gank that ghost."

"What?" she asked as she slammed the door and turned to face him.

* * *

Dean and Mia sat in their new room on the ground floor, reading books when she noticed that he was no longer reading his, but staring at the starburst clock on the wall instead. She was about to ask him if he was okay when he looked back down at his book. But when he started coughing she looked up again to see him rub his eyes then stare down at the book with wide eyes. "Dean?" she asked, but he ignored her and looked up at the clock on the wall again.

She jumped when he huffed out an aggravated growl and walked around the table to the wall and jerked the clock off of the wall then slammed it to the ground, shattering it. He looked up from the clock to see her looking at him with wide, questioning eyes. "Sorry, I uh…" he said looking down at the clock then back to her. "It was ticking too loud." He said with a shrug and she shook her head at him as he went to the fridge and grabbed a beer.

A few minutes later Sam walked in to find Mia sweeping the clock up off of the floor. He looked at her then to the floor then to Dean where he sat drinking his beer. "Everything okay?"

"Oh yeah." Dean said then took a noisy drink of beer. "Just peachy. Did you find anything?"

"Yeah. Jessie O'Brian's body was cremated." Hearing this Mia sat down the broom and dust pan and walked over to sit next to Dean. "So I'm pretty sure she is not our ghost." Sam sat down and propped his feet down loudly on the coffee table. "Hey." He kicked Dean's feet that we crossed on the table, getting his attention. "Quit picking at that." Dean gave him a sad, aggravated look and hesitantly stopped scratching at the rash on his arm. "How you feeling?"

"Awesome." Dean answered with a sarcastic smile. "It's nice to have my head on the chopping block again. I almost forgot what that feels like." Dean moved to take a drink of beer but coughed. "Is freakin' delightful." He tried to take a drink, but his coughing got bad.

When he sat up, coughing with his elbows on his knees Mia sat up and put her hand on his back. "Dean?" he just motioned to his throat before he got up off the couch and ran to the sink, coughing the whole time.

She watched him cough up a wood chip with wide eyes, then rise it off. "We've been completely ignoring the biggest clue we have: you." Sam said with a look of awe on his face.

"I don't wanna be a clue." Dean wined and Mia put her hand on his shoulder.

"Yeah, I don't want you to be a clue either, but we gotta work with what we've got, I guess." Mia said, rubbing his shoulders soothingly.

"The abrasions, this, the disease… it's trying to tell us something." Sam said as if Mia hadn't said anything.

"Tell us what, wood chips?" Dean asked holding up the wet, rectangular piece of wood.

Sam laughed, "Exactly."

Both of them looked at him as if he were crazy before it clicked. "Wait, I saw a lumber mill on the way here, you think it's trying to tell is to go there?" she asked with a questioning look at Sam who nodded. "Well, then let's go." She said as she grabbed her bag and slung the strap over her shoulder as she headed for the door. When she looked back, they were both staring at her. "Look, we don't have all the time in the world to figure this out. So come on." She said motioning to the door and the boys finally got a move on.

* * *

Dean pulled into the abandoned mill through the front gate then drove around back before he killed it. Mia knew by the look on his face that he was already scared just looking at the place. But it was confirmed when they all got out and looked at the creepy mill. "I'm not goin' in there."

Sam sighed and rolled his eyes. "I need backup, and you're all I've got."

"Well, what about Mia?" Dean asked with a wide eyes look at her.

"You're telling me that you would send your pregnant fiancée into this place?" Sam asked before he looked at Mia. "No offense, but we don't know what's gonna go down in there."

"I get it Sam. No need to explain." She waved him off then looked back at Dean who just stared at both of them.

"You're going in, Dean." Sam called as he walked around to the back of the car.

When Mia looked from Sam to Dean she saw that he had raised a bottle of alcohol to him lips and was gulping it down. "Dean, seriously, stop." She said as she swiped the bottle from his hand and tucked it into her jacket pocket. "It's bad enough that you're jumpy as hell. We don't need you drunk and jumpy."

Dean just gave her a glare as he passed her and joined Sam at the back of the Impala. "Fine, let's do this." Mia walked around to stand with them as Dean bent down to unlock the trunk. "It's a little spooky, isn't it?" Dean asked making Mia and Sam just stare at him as he popped the trunk. Sam started grabbing things he thought they would need then grabbed a gun and handed it to Dean. "Oh, I'm not carrying that." Sam just stood up and gave Dean a look. "It could go off." He defended with a shrug then grabbed the flashlight and gripped it in both hands, holding it to his chest. "I'll man the flashlight."

Mia covered her mouth to keep her laughter from being heard. Sam met her eyes and gave her a tight smile before he looked at his brother. "You do that." He told him with a nod.

When Dean turned to her she wiped the smile from her face. "I'll, uh, just wait here." She told them both them looked at Dean. "Try to stay calm, okay." She told Dean before she gave him a kiss. As they walked off she pulled open the back door of the car and sat down, hanging her feet out, kicking at the dirt.

A few minutes later she heard a scream that she could only assume was Dean's and jumped. She expected him to come running out, but he didn't. It was after she heard the mill power up and saws start wurring that she looked up and saw Dean running out of the mill. She expected him to run to her, but instead he cowered at the back of the car. So she got out and walked around to ease herself into a kneeling position in front of him. "What happened?" she asked, but she didn't get an answer, instead he grabbed the bottle out of her jacket and started chugging.

She was taking the bottle out of his hand when Sam ran up to her. "I guess we got the right place." He panted out, holding an old, laminated I.D. in his hand.

"Okay, Dean, come on, get up." Mia grunted as she placed one hand on the car and tried to stand up, Sam grabbed her arm and helped her. Once she was steady on her feet she held her hand out to Dean, coaxing him up off of the ground. "Come on." She wiggled her fingers at him and he took her hand with an aggravated head shake. Once they were all in the car she asked, "So what did you find out?"

"Luther Garland." Sam stated. "He seems to have had a thing for Jessie. There were drawings of her everywhere and he's haunting the place." Sam explained as he handed her the old id. "Oh and we found Franks missing wedding ring on the floor."

"So our next stop is the police station?" Mia asked as she leaned up and placed a hand on Dean's tense shoulder.

* * *

"Now I know what these are, road rash. And I guessing Luther swallowed some wood chips when he was being dragged down that road." Mia heard Dean say as they walked out of the building that the Impala was parked close to.

"Wait, so what did you guys find out? Luther was dragged to death?" Mia asked as she stood up and placed her hand on her back as she stretched.

"When Jessie went missing Frank thought Luther killed her or did something with her. So he chained Luther to his truck and dragged him up and down the road to the mill." Sam explained as he sat the folder he was holding on the roof of the car.

"Right, so yeah, the rash and the wood chips make total sense." Mia said with a look between the brothers as she tucked her hands into the pockets of her unzipped jacket.

"Yeah, you're experiencing his death in slow motion." Sam added.

"Yeah, well, not slow enough." Dean said with eyes that seemed to get wider and wider with every passing hour. "I say we burn some bones and get me healthy." He said as he started fiddling with his keys.

"Dean, it won't be that easy." Sam said hesitantly.

"No, no, it'll be that easy. Why won't it be that easy?" he asked.

"Luther was road-hauled. His body was ripped to pieces." Sam stated.

"So his body was left all up and down that road. It would be impossible to find and burn it all." Mia said, realizing that figuring out how to fix Dean was going to take longer than she thought. Dean really could die again.

"You're kidding me." Dean said loosing what little composure he had as his shoulders sank.

"Look, we'll just have to figure something else out." Sam said.

Dean looked at Mia before she saw his expression tilt toward mad. "You know what? Screw this."

"Excuse me?" Mia asked, watching as he turned and stated to walk off.

"Whoa, whoa, Dean, come on." Sam started, following after him.

"No, I mean, come on, guys." Dean said as Mia walked around the car to stand next to Sam. "What are we doing?"

"We're hunting a ghost." Sam answered matter-of-factly.

"A ghost, exactly. Who does that?" Dean asked with wide, scared eyes.

"Um, us." Mia said putting a hand on her back.

"Us. Right." Dean said tossing his hands out to the side. "And that is exactly why our lives suck." His words made Mia's brows rise as if she couldn't believe he said them. "Come on, we hunt monsters." He pointed at Mia, "You're a pregnant woman hunting monsters. I mean, what the hell?" Mia just gave Sam a look as she sighed and put her hands on her hips, then looked back at Dean. "I mean, normal people, they see a minster, and they run. But not us, no, no, no. We- We search out things that want to kill us. Huh? Huh? Or eat us. Even when we're gonna be bringing a baby into the world." he said with a motion between him and Mia. "You know who does that? Crazy people! We are insane." He said with a point at Sam and Mia.

"You know and then there's the-the bad diner food and, and then the skeevy motel rooms." Dead started pacing as he ranted. "and then the truck stop waitress with the bizarre rash." Mia's eyes raised as he motioned to his junk, but he ignored her. "I mean, who want's this life, Sam, huh? Seriously?" he stopped pacing and looked at his brother and Mia. "I mean, do you two actually like being stuck in a car with me 8 hours a day, every single day? I don't think so! I mean, I drive too fast, I listen to the same five albums over and over and over again, and I sing along. I'm annoying, I know that because she does the same thing." He said with a point at Mia who crossed her arms over her chest. "And you," he pointed at Sam, "You're gassy. You eat half a burrito and you get toxic. I mean…you know what?" he tossed Sam the keys over the car. "You can forget it."

"Whoa, Dean, where are you going?" Sam asked.

Dean turned around and pointed to Sam. "Stay away from me, Sam, okay? Because I'm done with it. I'm done with the monsters and the, and the, and the, hellhounds and the ghost sickness and the damn Apocalypse." He said throwing his hands about ranting like a true crazy person before he started walking off. "I'm out. I'm done. I quit."

Sam and Mia sighed and looked at each other. "What are we gonna do with him?" Sam asked, watching Mia rub her temples in an attempt as warding off a headache.

"I'll…go after him. You…do whatever er…I don't know." she said as she took off in the direction Dean had went. It took a while for her catch up to him considering when she tried to jog all she did was waddle, but eventually she did. "Dean." He ignored her and kept walking. "Dean seriously, just because I'm pregnant doesn't mean I can't keep up with you." she called and he finally dropped his fast pace enough for her to be able to walk side by side with him. "Look, just…come back to the hotel with me."

"No, I told you. I'm done." He said not looking at her.

"Dean," she started.

But she was cut off by him asking, "What was that sound?"

"What sound?" she asked right before she heard a rustle in the woods next to them.

"That sound." He practically screamed. Then when a yorkie puppy with a pink bow on top of its head popped out of the woods, Dean screamed at the top of his lungs. Mia ducked her head and covered her ears from the loud piercing sound. When she looked up Dean was no longer at her side, but was running full speed away from her with the puppy trailing in behind him.

"Seriously?" she asked no one in particular as she pulled her cell phone out of her pocket and flipped it open. After hitting the number two button, Sam's number popped up and she hit send.

He answered after the second ring, "Hey, how'd it go with Dean?"

"It didn't." she answered flatly. "We ran into a yorkie and he ran away screaming like a little girl." She explained. "So now I'm stuck by myself on the side of the road."

"Tell me where you're at. I'll come get you." he said and she could hear the car keys rattling along with the thudding of feet.

She told him where she was at and a few minutes later Sam drove up then leaned across the seat, pushing the passenger side door open for her. "Thanks." She said with a tight smile as she tucked herself inside then shut the door and they drove off. They drove around for thirty minutes, looking for Dean before Maria spoke up. "I think we need to head back to the motel, we can't waste too much more time looking for him."

"Yeah, okay." Sam said then made a u-turn and headed toward the motel. When they walked into the room they found Dean sitting on the foot of their bed, looking sweaty, drinking a beer. "We looked everywhere for you, Dean." Sam said and Mia slammed the door. "How the hell did you get here?"

"I ran." He answered with wide eyes that immediately caused Mia to forget about how mad she was at him for leaving her in the middle of nowhere. She moved to lay on the bed next to him while Sam sat down on the second bed in the room. "What do we do now?" Dean asked them. "I mean, I got less than four hours on the clock. I'm gonna die, Sammy."

"No, you're not." Mia sighed as she sat up and hugged him from behind.

"Yeah, you are." When she heard Sam say these words she looked at him, just like Dean was. "You're going back."

"Back?" "What the hell, Sam?" Dean and Mia asked at the same time.

"Downstairs, Dean. Hell. It's about damn time too." Mia kept her hands on Dean, glaring at Sam while wondering what was making him say talk like this. "Truth is, you've been a real pain in my ass." But when Sam's voice got deeper and his eyes flashed yellow, Mia jerked her hands off of Dean. The yellow went away and Sam looked confused.

"Sam, he's hallucinating. He thinks you're yellow eyes." When she said this Dean suddenly flew to the wall, causing her to jump and look at him.

"Dean?" Sam yelled and went to his brother while Mia backed away, not wanting to get caught in the middle if things got bad.

"You get out of my brother you evil son of a bitch!" Dean yelled with his back pressed to the wall as if a demon was holding him there.

"Dean! Dean? Hey, hey, hey, Dean. Hey, Dean. Dean. Dean." Sam yelled pushing on his brother trying to get his attention. Eventually Dean took a deep breath and his eyes focused again as his breathing evened out and Sam backed off.

Seeing that he was now okay, Mia rushed over to him and pulled him into a hug. "You can't do that, okay?" she asked as she pulled back to look him in the eyes. "You've gotta stay with us." She said placing her shaking hands on each side of his face and he nodded before she kissed him.

Sam cleared his throat getting their attention. "You stay here with him. I'm gonna call Bobby, see if we can meet up and figure this thing out." He told her as he grabbed the keys and walked out.

Mia sank down on the bed and placed her head in her hands with a sigh. "You look tired." Dean's words made her look up at him. "You don't have to say up and babysit me. Get some sleep."

"No, I'm fine." She said, but a yawn defied her words.

"Mia, seriously. If I am gonna die I don't want you losing sleep over it." he said as he moved to sit down beside her. "Come on, lay down with me." he coaxed, gently pulling her down and into his side.

Just like he knew she would, after a few minutes her eyes slipped shut, her breathing became steady and little soothing snores left her mouth with every other breath she took. He hadn't planned on it, but curled up with her, he couldn't help but slip into a half sleep. But he didn't stay asleep for long before nightmares pulled him back to consciousness. So he eased out of bed to keep from waking Mia and flicked on the tv, turning the volume down.

Two hours later Dean's phone started ringing, waking Mia up. "Hey." Dean answered it sluggishly. Mia pulled herself out of bed and walked over to stand behind him with her hands on his shoulders. He groaned and turned the tv off before he said, "What is it?" then after a few seconds hung up the phone.

"So?" Mia asked and Dean stood up and walked around her to the couch, but didn't sit down.

"He said not to worry and that everything's goin' to be okay. He has a plan." He answered not looking at her, but over her shoulder at the wall. "Mia, I'm gonna die. His plans usually suck."

"Dean, look at me." Dean still didn't look at her so she placed her hands on his gritty cheeks and made him. "You are not going to die." She said sternly even though she felt like her heart was going to beat out of her chest. "You hear me? You're not. If Sam says he has a plan then he has a plan. Everything's going to be okay." He just kept starting at her, not saying anything. "Okay?" she asked while dramatically nodding her head.

He finally stared nodding with her and said, "Okay," as he pulled her to him in a tight hug. She was breathing in the smell of him, spicy body wash and a hint a sweat, when he jerked back from her and asked, "Do you hear that?"

"No, Dean…what, what do you hear?" she asked following his eyes to the door.

"Hellhounds." He said as he started looking around as if they were everywhere then jumped behind the chair to hide.

"Dean, there's no-" but she was cut off when the chain on the door started rattling. "What the-?" she whispered to herself then jumped back with a yelp when the door was busted in revealing Sheriff Britton. "Al?" she asked with a tilted head then noticed the bloody patch on his arm. "Sheriff, look at me, you have to calm down. You're sick, just like Dean."

"Mia, hide." Dean warned her, holding his arm out in front of her as if to protect her. She opened her mouth to protest, but her eyes landed on the gun in his hand. "Mia, go, now." Dean snapped so she held her hands up in a surrendering manor as she slowly walked to the bathroom to her right and shut herself in.

"Why are you looking into Luther Garland's death?" she heard Al ask.

"Hey, hey, you're sick. You're sick, alright?" Dean asked with a reasoning tone in his voice and a second later Mia heard the familiar smack of someone being punched then groaning coming from Dean.

"Frank O'Brian was my friend. So he made a mistake. So I didn't bust him. So what? And you're gonna bring me down over that?" Al yelled before she heard something fall to the ground then the familiar thuds and grunts of a fist fight. She heard the sound of glass busting before Al yelled "Get away from me!"

"Al, you gotta calm down!" Dean yelled and Mia released a sigh. He was talking, that meant he was still alive.

"Get back!" Al yelled then everything went silent.

"Dean?" she called, wondering what happened, and after a few seconds Dean opened the bathroom door and she flung herself into his arms. "What happened?" she asked as she pulled back, seeing the dead sheriff on top of the busted coffee table.

"He had a heart attack." He told her, still panting from the fight as he scratched at his arm.

"Stop scratching at that." She scolded as she grabbed his hand and pulled it from his forearm. "Come on," she gave his hand a tug before she led him to the bed and sat him down, "I'll get some ice packs for your arms. Maybe that will help." She sighed then went to the fridge to get some ice.

"You are not real!" she heard Dean yell and by the time she got to him he was doubled over on the floor on his hands and knees, gripping his chest. "You're not real." He panted as Mia eased herself to her knees in front of Dean. "Why me? Why did I get infected?" he asked as Mia picked his head up to look at her.

As soon as she touched him a sweet innocent voice bounced around in her head. "Silly goose. You know why, Dean. Listen you your heart."

"Dean, whatever you're seeing, it's not real." Mia said, urging him to look her in the eyes.

"Ba-boom" The child like voice echoed in her head. "Ba-boom."

"Dean, don't listen to her, baby." She said and Dean's face was pulled from her hands as he fell back onto his butt and stared scooting away from her, staring at her as if she was about to hurt him. So she scooted closer to him and gripped his face in her hands. Her pinky landed on the base of his jaw and she could feel his rapid heart rate. Tears started streaming down her face. He was having a heart attack. "Dean, baby look at me, see me. I'm right here." She cried, trying with all her strength to will away the hallucination he was having. Hoping she could push the child's voice out of both of their heads. "See _me_, Dean."

"Mia?" he asked in a strained voice as his eyes searched hers. "But, Lilith…she was…you were-." He panted still gripping his chest and groaning in pain.

"No, there's no Lilith. Just me." she said. "Try to calm down, please." He looked relieved for a moment before he doubled over screaming in pain, no longer able to talk. She cried as she wrapped her arms around his shoulders and pulled him to her chest. He was gurgling, as if he couldn't breathe. When he got quiet, Mia's heart fell thinking he had just died.

But then all of a sudden he inhaled a deep breath. She yelped and pushed him away to see that his eyes were open and his chest was moving. He looked at her for a second then checked both of his arms to see that the rashes were gone. "Son of a bitch." He sighed as he let his arms fall to the floor, relaxed and relieved.

Mia scooted away and put a hand on her belly as she eased down to lay on the floor then stared up at the ceiling, thanking God.

* * *

"So you guys road hauled a ghost…with a chain?" Dean asked as he handed Sam and Bobby a beer out of the cooler in the Impala.

"Iron chain, etched with spell work." added Sam who used his beer to point at Bobby, who smiled cockily.

"Hmm. Well that's a new one." Dean said as he took a swig out of the bottle and wrapped his arm around Mia.

"It's what he was most afraid of." Sam said. "It was pretty brutal though."

"On the upside, I'm still alive so, uh, go team." Dean said holding his bottle up as if to make a toast.

"Yeah, uh, how you feeling by the way?" Sam asked then took a drink.

"Fine." Dean answered with a head shake.

"You're sure, Dean?" Bobby asked. "Because this line of work can get awful scary."

Mia snickered behind her hand. "I'm fine. What, you wanna go hunt? I'll hunt. I'll kill anything." Dean said standing up straighter.

"Aww." Cooed Sam.

"He's adorable." Bobby taunted and everyone laughed but Dean.

Dean turned to glare at a laughing Mia. "What, I'm sorry. You're kinda cute when you're scared." She defended and Sam and Bobby laughed.

"Whatever." Dean huffed then turned from her and took a drink.

"I gotta get out of here." Bobby said as he headed to his car. "You boys drive safe." He called as he walked around the car and pulled the door open. "And take care of that girl." He pointed at Dean before he looked at Mia. "My door's always open to ya if 'n' when you need settle down for a while."

Mia gave him a smile as she walked over and gave him a hug. "Thanks. We appreciate it." she told him as she pulled out of the hug and pecked him on the cheek. "See you." she said then walked back around the car as he got in and cranked it.

When she got close to Dean he hooked his arm around her waist and pulled her into his side. "You want to go stay with him don't you?" he asked making her look away from Bobby's fading car and up to him.

"Not today, but eventually. When the time is right." She answered quietly and he just nodded and kissed the top of her head.

**A/N: **Sorry it took me so long to update this story. My husband lost his job a week before Christmas and I've been too stressed to write. But hopefully he will get the job he is interviewing for today. So if you guys that pray would pray for us and all the others who have gotten laid off recently it would be greatly appreciated. If you don't pray then…wish us luck I guess? Thanks everyone and best wishes to all.


	30. Chapter 30

Disclaimer: See Chapter one.

**Sleeping With The Ally**

**Chapter 30:** It's The Great Pumpkin, Sam Winchester.

—October 30th—36 Weeks Pregnant—

Mia laughed as Dean slipped the clear wrapper off of an orange pumpkin shaped lollypop then stuck it in his mouth with a smile. "Dean, really, again with the candy?" Mia asked as she pulled him down into bed with her.

"Hey, it's Halloween. Now's the time to eat a crap ton of candy." He defended as he held up a hunk of chewy peanut butter candy wrapped in a pumpkin orange wrapper. She plucked it out of his hand with a smile. "Knew you couldn't resist." He said with a smile as she pulled the ends un-wrapping the candy then popping it into her mouth.

"Just because I eat one, doesn't mean you can eat ten." She laughed as she rolled over and rubbed her hand over her stomach as the baby punched her. "I swear your kids trying to beat me up from the inside." She smiled then watched as Dean put his hand on her belly to feel a second punch.

"Hey, little one, take it easy on your mommy." Dean said moving his face close to her stomach. "She's doin' the best she can." When he said this, the baby kicked and he looked at her. "Kid's hard headed. Kinda like someone else I know." Mia just laughed and shook her head at him. "You should sing to it."

"What song do you sing to a baby?" she asked as she reached out and brushed Dean's hair out of his face then let her hand rest on his cheek.

"How about 'Hey Jude'?" he asked and she gave him a curious look. "It's what my mom would sing to me." he explained with sadness in his eyes.

"Okay." She almost whispered as she ran her thumb over his lips them moved her hands to cup the sides of her stomach. "Hey Jude, don't make it bad. Take a sad song and make it better. Remember to let her into your heart then you can start to make it better. Hey Jude, don't be afraid. You were made to go out and get her. The minute you let her under your skin, then you'll begin to make it better." She sang in her sweet voice then stopped when she looked up at Dean and saw him looking at her with watery eyes. "I don't know the rest of the words." She admitted.

He gave her a sad smile before he moved his eyes from hers and rubbed her stomach. "And anytime you feel the pain hey Jude refrain, don't carry the world upon your shoulders. For well, you know that it's a fool who plays it cool by making this world a little colder." He sang making Mia smile at how good he sounded.

"Na, nana, na na na naaa." They sang together before they both started laughing.

"You, Dean Winchester, can actually sing when you're not shouting the lyrics at the top of your lungs." She said with a smile as she grabbed the collar of his shirt and gently pulled him up for a kiss. "I love you, you know that?" she asked and he smiled and nodded before he pecked her on her lips.

"I love you too." He managed to get out between kisses. He was moving to straddle her when his phone started ringing. He sighed and placed his forehead on hers. "Damn it, Sam." He cursed as he leaned over to grab his phone off of the nightstand and flip it open. "Yeah?" he asked irritably then got quiet for a while. "Yeah, okay, bye." He said then flipped the phone closed. "Sam found a case." He said and she sighed.

"Can we not lay low for more than two weeks?" she asked and Dean got off of her and out of bed.

"I guess not."

* * *

"So that's the case?" Mia asked as she turned sideways in the back seat of the car and stretched her feet out over the back seat. "Razor blades in Halloween candy? That's just a myth. It doesn't really happen."

"Well, this police report shows that is does actually happen." Sam said glancing at her in the rearview mirror.

"Okay, it couldn't hurt to check it out." Dean added as he cranked the car.

After getting a hotel and changing clothes they went to the home Luke Wallis, who died from swallowing razorblades, to speak to his wife. "How many razor blades did they find?" Sam asked the widow who had her arms crossed uncomfortably over her chest.

"Two on the floor, one in his stomach and…one was stuck in his throat." She answered and without thinking about it Mia reached up and rubbed her throat. Just the thought of a razor blade getting lodged there made it hurt. "He swallowed four of them. How is that even possible?" she asked before she heard Dean open the oven and look inside. "The candy was never in the oven."

Mia could tell he was trying to think of a response as he closed the oven door and stood up. "We just have to be thorough, Mrs. Wallace."

"What about the rest of the Halloween candy. Were there any more razors or was it just the one piece of candy?" Mia asked shifting from foot to foot in an attempt to calm the flipping baby.

"No. I mean, I don't know. I don't think so." She answered with a head shake. Mia watched Dean out of the corners of her eyes and when she saw him look at the floor in front of the fridge and tilt his head to the side, she knew he had found something. "I just…" Mia turned her eyes back to the widow to keep from drawing attention to Dean. "I can't believe it. You hear urban legends about this stuff, but it actually happens?" she asked.

"More than you might imagine." Sam answered as Dean stood and held a hex bag up in his hand, behind the widows back. "Mrs. Wallace, did Luke have any enemies?" Sam asked. "Anyone who might have held a grudge against him?"

"What do you mean?" Mrs. Wallace asked with furrowed brows.

"Co-workers, neighbors?" Sam started causing Mrs. Wallace to stare at him with a tilted head.

"Or, and please don't hate me for asking this, but what about another woman?" Mia asked reluctantly. She hated accusing the dead of cheating, but it happened more often than not.

"Are you suggesting an affair?" the widow asked, finally uncrossing her arms as she looked unbelievingly at Mia.

"Is it possible?" Sam asked getting the widow's astonished eyes off of Mia.

"No." she answered, "No, Luke would never-" she cut herself off and turned her eyes to the floor.

"I'm very sorry. We just have to consider all possibilities." Sam said with an uncomfortable glance at Mia and Dean.

"If someone wanted to kill my husband, don't you think they'd find a better way than a razor in a piece of candy he might eat?" she asked angrily.

"We'll be leaving now, Mrs. Wallace." Mia spoke up then looked back and forth between the boys. "We've got everything we need." She gave the emotional widow a small smile and a nod as she headed to the door with the boys in tow.

* * *

I'm gonna go see what I can find on this Luke guy, Mia, you wanna ride with me?" Dean asked, not getting out of the car that was parked in front of their room.

"My feet are killing me. I kina just want to relax for a while." She said as she got out of the backseat then kissed him through the rolled down window. "I'll see you when you get back, though." She smiled then headed to their room as he drove away.

Once inside she sat down on the bed and toed off her shoes and socks. A sigh escaped her lips, happy to have the shoes off of her swollen feet. Now that she had those off she stood up and took off the uncomfortable pencil skirt, blazer and white dress shirt. After digging around in her bag she found a pair of maternity pants and a t-shirt that had a pumpkin over her bump and the words "Don't eat pumpkin seeds" across the chest. She had pulled on the comfortable pants and was pulling on the shirt when she heard a knock on the door. "Hang on." She called and straightened the shirt as she headed over to the door. After looking though the peep hole she saw that it was just Sam. So she pulled the door open "What's up, Sam?" she asked, not really wanting to be around him.

"Wanna help me figure this thing out? You know more about witchcraft than I do." He asked holding up the hex bag, so she stepped aside letting him into the room.

"Here, let me see it." she said as she held her hand out for the small bag and he dropped it into her hand. She could feel his eyes on her, but chose to ignore them as she walked over to the coffee table in the room and sat down on the couch as she untied the bag.

He stood at the end of the table and watched as she pushed the items in the bag around on the cloth with her pointer finger. "So, what do you think we're working with here?" he asked as he sat down next to her, his hip touching hers as he did.

"Well," she sighed as she scooted over, putting space between them, "It's not your everyday hex bag that's for sure." She picked up a spiral of what looked like a yellow weed and held it up for him to see. "I know for sure that this is goldthread. It's an herb that's been extinct for over 200 years. So that in itself tells us that we're dealing with someone serious. Not just your everyday, housewife gone bad. But this other stuff I'm not so sure about. I know the coin is Celtic and that this is a chard bone of some kind. That's all I know right off hand." she said as she slid the fabric square over to him.

"Right, well, it looks like we need to get to work and figure out more about these other two things." He said as he pulled his laptop out of his bag and picked up the coin, looking at it as he typed with his empty hand. "Maria," he started.

She could tell by the tone of his voice that he was going to try to get personal with her. "What?" she asked, sounding withdrawn as she ran her hand through her short, highlighted waves.

"You still don't look like you're sleeping well." He said, not looking at her, but at the coins on the screen of the computer.

"I'm sleeping just fine, Sam." She answered flatly, flipping through pages of a book as she looked for the bone.

"No, you're not. I can see it written all over your face." he said finally turning to look at her. "I'm worried about you."

"It's not your place to worry about me and even when it was you didn't do a very good job so-." She said, snapping the book closed as she looked up at him.

"I'm sorry." He said with a small head shake.

"Just shut up." she snapped as she looked back down at the old leather bound book in her hands. "Focus on the case or get out, because I'm not interested in your 'I'm sorry's'." she said as she picked up her book and moved to sit on her and Dean's bed.

Ten minutes later Dean walked in and tossed his keys onto the dining table while chewing a piece of candy. "Really?" Sam asked as Dean took off his jacket and tossed it over the back of one of the dining chairs. "After that guy choked down all those razor blades?" he asked as Dean popped another piece of chewy candy into his mouth.

"It's Halloween, man." Dean said while chewing as he walked over to where Mia sat and the foot of their bed with a book propped up on her bump, and kissed the top of her head. She made a face up at him and wiped at the stickiness his kiss left in her hair.

"Yeah. For us, every day is Halloween." Sam said with a little laugh at the couple as Dean walked over and sat on the arm of the couch.

"Don't be a downer. Anything interesting?" Dean asked with a mouth full, still chewing.

"Well, we're on a wich-hunt that's for sure, but this…" he held up the goldthread and the coin, telling his older brother how old each of the items were. Mia winced as she watched Dean pick up the bone and sniff it. "And that is the Charred Metacarpal bone of a newborn baby." Sam said making Mia's stomach churn at the thought of a burning baby.

"Oh. Gross." Dean said with a scrunched up face as he tossed the bone back onto the fabric.

"Relax, man. It's at least a hundred years old." Sam said, examining the tiny bone.

"Oh, right, like that makes it better. Witches, man, they're so frigging skeevy." Dean said with a shiver, as if to shake off their disgustingness from his body.

"Yeah. Well, takes a pretty powerful one to put a bag like this together." Sam said as Dean walked over and Sat down on the bed, next to her. "More juice than we've ever dealt with, that's for sure." He said then asked, "Find anything on the victim?"

Dean wrapped his arm around Mia's waist, smirking down at her shirt before he turned to Sam, "This Luke Wallace, he was so vanilla, that he made vanilla seem spicy." Sam and Mia both scoffed. "I can't find any reason why somebody would want this guy dead."

* * *

"So this girl was bobby for apples and drown?" Mia asked with one hand on her back while she used the other to stir the meat in the skillet on the stove.

"Yep and the water was so hot that it practically burned her face off." Dean added waving his hand over his face as he walked over to lean against the cabinet next to her.

"And we found another hex bag." Sam spoke up from where he sat on the couch, looking through the new hex bag.

"Well, I'll be glad to sit this one out." Mia spoke up as she moved the meat over to the strainer in the sink and washed it before she added it to the macaroni shells and stirred it around. "I hate witches just as much as you do." She said with a look at Dean as she grabbed the block of Velveeta cheese from the counter behind him. "Remember the last time a witch came after us?" she asked and Dean nodded at the bad memory of him almost dying until Ruby came in and saved him. "I just don't want that to happen again and if this witch has a thing for new borns…" Mia said as she cut the cheese into cubes, but she couldn't finish the sentence.

"Hey," Dean said, placing his hand on her hip, giving it a comforting squeeze, "This witch isn't gonna hurt you, okay? I won't let that happen." He assured her and she just nodded as she chopped the last bit of cheese and tossed it into the pot.

"We won't let that happen." Sam spoke up and she glanced at him, blank faced, over her shoulder.

"Will you hand me the beans and rotel?" she asked, changing the subject and Dean did as she asked. She added the last two ingredients then gave it a good stir before she placed a lid over it to let it simmer. She glanced at Sam before she sat down in the dining chair across from Dean and opened the book that was sitting there.

After a few minutes of silence as they all researched their own things Mia sighed and snapped the book closed. "You finding anything on the victims?" she asked Dean as she moved to the pot and stirred it. "And the foods ready."

"I'm telling you, both of these vics are squeaky clean. There's no reason for wicked-bitch payback." Dean answered as Mia grabbed three thin glass bowls out of the cabin and washed them, making sure they were clean, before she served up the goulash.

"Maybe because it's not about that." Sam said.

Dean and Mia just looked at him for a second, expecting him to elaborate. "Wow, insightful." Dean said when Sam didn't continue talking.

"Maybe this witch isn't working a grudge." Sam said, pointing to the book in his hand. "Maybe they're working a spell. Check this out: 'Three blood sacrifices over three days. The last before midnight on the final day of the final harvest' Celtic calendar, the final day of the final harvest is-."

"October 31st." Mia finished for him as she sat a bowl down in front of Dean then another in front of Sam.

"Halloween?" Dean asked as he took the book that Sam handed to him.

"Exactly." Sam said as Mia walked over to the table with her bowl in hand and sat down between the brothers.

"What exactly are the blood sacrifices for?" Dean asked.

"Well, if I'm right, this witch is summoning a demon. And not just any demon. Samhain." Sam said as he picked up his bowl and took a bite.

"Am I supposed to be impressed?" Dean asked, moving the book aside so that he could get to his food.

"Dean, Samhain is the damn origin of Halloween." Sam said with an eye roll. "The Celts believed that October 31st was the one night of the year when the veil was thinnest between the living and dead. And it was Samhain's night. Masks were put on to hide from him. Sweets left on doorsteps to appease him. Faces carved into pumpkins to worship him. He was exorcised centuries ago."

Mia sat by listening while the boys worked things out. "So even though Samhain took a trip downstairs, the traditions stuck." Dean concluded.

"Exactly. Only now, instead of demons and blood orgies Halloween is all about kids, candy and costumes." Sam said with a point at Mia's shirt.

"Okay so some witch wants to raise Samhain and take back the night?" Dean asked.

"Dean, this is serious." Sam argued.

"I am serious."

"We're talking heavyweight witchcraft. This ritual can only be preformed every 600 years." Sam said.

"And the 600 year marker rolls around…?" Dean asked.

"Tomorrow night." Sam answered.

"Naturally." Dean said sarcastically as he looked down at the book. "There sure is a lot of death and destruction for one demon."

"That's because he likes company. Once he's raised, Samhain can do some rising of his own." Sam said.

"Raising what exactly?" Dean asked.

"Dark, evil crap, and lots of it. They follow him around like the freakin' pied piper." Dean said.

"So we're talking ghosts?" Dean asked.

"Yeah." Sam answered.

"Zombies?" Dean asked.

"Mm-hm." Sam answered

"Leprechauns?" Dean asked.

"Dean." Sam said getting aggravated with his brother.

"Those little dudes are scary. Small hands." Dean said making a motion with his hands that made Mia smile.

"Look, it just starts with ghosts and gouls. This sucker keeps on going. By night's end, we are talking every awful thing we've ever seen. Everything we fight all in one place." Sam said leaning across the table to look at his brother.

"It's gonna be a slaughterhouse." Dean said.

"Okay, so you guys gank this witch and it'll put a stop to everything?" Mia asked as she finished her bowl of food then moved to wash the bowl.

"Thanks for dinner, Maria." Sam said as he placed his bowl in the sink then grabbed his laptop and slid it into the bag that Mia had gotten him for Christmas. "It was delicious, as always."

"No problem, Sam." She said not looking up from the dishes she washed until she heard the door close behind him.

She heard Dean drop his spoon into his bowl then his heavy footsteps as he walked over and started helping her with the dishes. "Can I ask you a question?" he asked.

"You just did." she answered with a hit of humor in her voice.

"Seriously, Mia." He said quietly and she glanced up from the soapy water to see him looking at her the way he did when he was about to ask something he probably didn't want to know the answer to.

"You know you can always as me anything, Dean." She said as she handed him a spoon to rinse.

"What's goin on with you and Sam?" he asked and her hands slowed as she glanced up at him. "I mean, every time I walk into the room with you two it's like I walk into a wall of ice and tension."

"He…" she started, but didn't know what to say, so she just finished washing the strainer. "He keeps trying to apologize for what he did." she said as she handed him the strainer and he rinsed it and put it in the draining board.

"What, for lying about his powers?" Dean asked and she shook her head no. "For what then?"

"He cheated on me, Dean." She reminded him as she shut the water off and walked over to sit down on the bed.

"Oh, right, I've been trying to forget about all of that." He said as he walked over and stood across from her. "Wait, I thought you were with that other guy…what's his name, when Sam slept with Ruby." He asked.

"No, he seemed distant, but we were still talking when he…went there, with her. It was long after he started shutting me out that I gave up on him and started dating Dylan. But, now I know why he seemed distant." She sighed as she folded her hands over her belly and stared down at them.

"So Sam keeps trying to apologize for cheating on you?" Dean asked as he settled down on the bed next to her.

"Yeah." She said, not looking up at him from her hands. "And he can't seem to understand why I won't accept his apologies."

"For the record, why is that?" he asked, looked at her across his shoulder.

"He _cheated_ on me, Dean. That's not something I can forgive so easily." She said as she stood up and started walking, trying to calm the restless baby inside her.

"Yeah, but if you don't have those kinds if feelings for him, then why can't it be easy?" he asked, standing from the bed as he tucked his hands into his pockets.

"Rather or not I have feelings for him anymore doesn't matter. He still hurt me." she said as she pointed to the direction of Sam's room. Dean raised his eyebrows and nodded as he bit his lip. "Don't look at me like that. I told you I don't love Sam like that anymore."

"Then why does it bother you so much?" he asked as he shifted his weight from foot to foot.

"Because it takes time to heal a hurt like that, Dean, and I haven't had that time to heal. In the past nine months I have been bounced from place to place and had feelings for three different men. I watched the first guy and father of my child, get ripped to shreds by freakin' hellhounds. That in itself turned my world upside down. Then when the second guy I started having feelings for fell of the face of the earth I fell for a third guy then I ended up hurting him when guy number two came back into the picture. And then on top of all of that the guy I watched die was pulled from hell and turned my life upside down again. Not to mention that I've been trying to figure out how the hell to be a mom this whole time." She had been pacing the whole time she ranted and she was starting to lose her breath.

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry." He said as he placed his hands on her shoulder. "Just, calm down, okay? Getting worked up like that can't be good for the baby." He said, looking into her eyes.

"I love you and only you, Dean, more than I've ever loved anyone or anything." She said, on the verge of tears as she stared into his bright green eyes. "If I have ever done or said anything that made you believe that I'm still in love with Sam, then I'm so sorry." She said as she placed her hands on his chest.

He placed his hand on the back of her head and pulled her into a hug, tucking her face into his neck. "I know, Mia, I know." he cooed as he slid his hand down to rub her back. "I love you too. Nothing's ever gonna change that."

* * *

When she woke up the next morning, Dean was gone. As she sat up she saw a note taped on the door so she walked over and plucked it off. _Mia, you looked too beautiful to disturb and I know you haven't been sleeping well. So I decided to let you sleep in. I've gone to talk to Mrs. Wallace again. Call me if you need anything._ She smiled to herself as she walked over to her bag. After digging around she found the baby book and opened it to a blank page then tapped the note inside. Above the note she wrote: _A note your daddy wrote me on Halloween. Your father is so sweet sometimes._ She let the ink dry before she closed the book and tucked it back into her bag. Then gathered some fresh clothes and disappeared into the bathroom.

When she came out her hair was coiled up in a towel that was wrapped around her head and she wore a pair of yoga pants and a racer back tank top. After running the towel through her hair she hung it on the back of the bathroom door to let it dry. Knowing that Dean was going to be gone a while, and not feeling like being by herself, she picked up her phone and texted Sam. "_You in your room?"_

A few seconds later her phone beeped and she flipped it open to see a reply from Sam. _"Yeah, took you long enough to wake up."_

She punched the keys typing back a message. _"Yeah, well, I needed the rest. You need help with research?"_

It took him a little longer to answer this time, and when her phone did go off she opened her phone to read, _"Depends, am I going to get another verbal lashing from you if I say yes?"_

She sighed and rubbed her hand over her face before she typed back, _"No, I promise. I just don't feel like being alone at the moment."_

This time the reply from Sam was almost immediate. _"Come on over."_ She slipped on a pair of flip flips and headed two rooms over to where Sam's room was and knocked on the door. Sam pulled it open, giving her an awkward smile. "Hey."

"Hey, uh, so what are we searching for?" she asked as she walked past him into the room and sat down on the couch.

"Uh, nothing. There's nothing else I can do until we know who this witch is." He sighed as he shut the door then turned to her.

"But I thought you needed help with research." She said looking around for a trap of some kind.

"Yeah, I lied. I just wanted to see if you were feeling better." He said as he sank down to sit on his bed.

"Oh, okay, that's fine, because I wanted to talk to you." she said pointing at him. "I said that I would never accept your apology no matter how many times you said you were sorry." She started.

But Sam interrupted her. "Maria, you have to know I've meant it every time I've said it. I am sorry."

"I know you are, Sam." She said and he gave her a curious look, wanting to know where the sudden change of heart came from. "So I want to accept your apology and tell you that I'm sorry."

"What are you sorry for?" he asked as he watched her stand up and stretch her back.

"Being so hard on you." she answered as she started walking, absentmindedly around the room. "I don't know what you were going through, what made you make the decisions you made, and I mean, who am I to judge?" she asked with a shrug of her shoulders.

"Maria, you don't have to apologize to me." Sam started, but she held up her hand, stopping him.

"No, I do. We have to clear the air between us or…" she trailed off as she turned her eyes to the floor.

"Or what?" he asked as he stood up and walked over to her.

"Or I'm afraid it's going to destroy my relationship with Dean." She answered, turning her green eyes to his. "I just got him back, I can't lose him again." She said and Sam could tell she was holding back her emotions.

"Hey, you won't lose him. I promise." He said as he stepped closer, pulling her into one of his warm bear hugs before he backed off and put his hands on his hips. "You're happier with him than you ever were with me. We didn't click like the two of you do and yeah, that disappoints me, but I'll get over it….eventually." He added with a sad laugh.

They just stared at each other for a second, as if silently saying goodbye even though neither of them were going anywhere. "Okay." She laughed and breathed out a heavy breath then looked at the floor and kicked the rug that sat under the end of his bed. "Chick flick moments over, Sasquatch."

"You've spent too much time with Dean." He laughed as back up to his bed and flopped onto his back. It was quiet for a while as he watched her walk around the room, bouncing as she did. "So how's the little one this morning?" he asked.

"Restless. They only thing that calms it is bouncing around the room like an idiot." she said still lightly bouncing as she walked around the room. "And it eventually starts to hurt me feet." She complained.

"Well, at least you got a good night's rest." He said as he sat up and she cut her eyes over at him.

"Yeah." She said as she looked down at the table, thinking about why she hadn't been sleeping well. "So how long has Dean been gone?" she asked changing the subject.

"A few hours at the least." He answered then picked up his phone and called Dean. "How's it goin'?" Sam asked and Mia walked over and stood on her tip toes putting her head next to his shoulder to listen to their conversation.

Sam put it on speakerphone, "Awesome. Yeah, I talked to Mrs. Razor Blade again. I've been sitting out in front of her house for hours and I've got a big steamy pile of nothing."

"Look, Dean, someone planted those hex bags, someone with success to both houses. There's gotta be some connection." Sam said into the speaker.

"Yeah well, I hope we find it soon because I'm starting to cramp like a son of a bitch." Dean laughed.

"Quit whining." Sam said.

"And lay off the candy." Mia added with a laugh.

"No, guys, I mean, son of a bitch." Dean said and something in his voice had changed. "Tracy's at the house I gotta go." He hung up and Mia turned her eyes to Sam.

"Who's Tracy?" she asked.

"She was at the party where the second vic died." Sam explained as he dropped the phone and started typing on his laptop.

Thirty minutes later Dean walked in and tossed the room key onto the table. "Tracy, the Wallace's babysitter." he said as he took his jacket off. "She told me she'd never even heard of Luke Wallace."

"Huh." Sam said from where he still laid on his bed looking at his computer. "Interesting look for a centuries-old witch."

"Yeah, well, if you were a 600 year old hag and you could pick any costume to come back in, wouldn't you go for a hot cheerleader?" Dean asked as he sat down on the couch next to Mia. "I would." Mia and Sam just stared at him as he zoned out, thinking dirty cheerleader thoughts.

"Dean, snap out of it." Mia said snapping in front of his face.

He turned and gave Mia the same look he had on his face while he was zoned out. "Well, okay, enough of that." Sam said getting their attention. "And Tracy's not as wholesome as she looks. I did some digging. Apparently, she got into a violent altercation with one of her teachers. Got suspended from school."

"Okay, so let's pay a visit to the school." Dean said as he hopped up off of the couch then turned to Mia and held his hand out to her. She grabbed it and he helped her up off of the couch. He walked her back to their room and changed into his suit before he left.

* * *

Mia was sitting on the bed reading a novel when she heard the flap of wings. She dropped her book and grabbed her gun pointing it at the dark complected man who was standing at the foot of her bed in a black suit with his back to her. "Who are you and what do you want?" she asked.

"We don't want anything from you." he answered flatly before she saw Castile walk into the room.

"You don't have to be afraid of us, Maria." He said as he walked over and pushed the gun down. "We need to talk to Sam and Dean."

"They're not here right now." she said moving to stand up.

"We can see that." The black angel spoke in his deep authoritative voice still not turning to look at her. "Why are we even talking to them. Let's just destroy this place and get out of here."

"Uriel, we have our orders." Castiel said raising his voice just enough to make his point.

"What are you tal-" Maria started, but it suddenly felt as if something had gotten lodged into her throat. She grasped at it, trying cough up whatever had gotten stuck.

"A hex bag." Castiel said ignoring the choking pregnant woman as she sank to her knees on the floor, gasping for air. "Uriel, help me look." He said to the man who just kept standing there doing nothing.

"Why should I care about her?" he asked flatly.

"Because she is of import!" Castiel yelled and the angel vanished then popped up with a hex bag in his hand. "Destroy it!" Castiel yelled again causing Uriel to burst out laughing as he moved to look at Mia's face that was starting to turn purple.

"You are nothing but an abomination and a embarrassment to all angels." He said, looking into her eyes.

"Uriel!" Cass yelled and Uriel finally lit the bag on fire.

As soon as the bag caught fire Mia sucked in a deep breath and the color started returning to her face. "Get out of my room." Mia rasped at the dick of an angel and they both vanished.

But an hour later when she heard the Impala pull up outside the angels came back. "Who are you?" Sam yelled with his gun raised as soon as he saw the two men standing in front of Mia's bed.

"Sam! Sam, wait." Dean said as he rushed in. "That's Castiel. The angel." He said as he pushed Dean's gun down. "Him, I don't know." he gave Uriel a wide eyed look before he walked over to where Mia sat with her legs pulled up to her chest. "Hey, you okay?" he asked as he sat down next to her and wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

"Yeah, I'm fine. But watch out for Ass-hat over there." she said as she jerked her head toward Uriel.

"I swear to god if you hurt her." Dean said looking up at the big black man who was staring out of the window.

"He didn't, Dean." Castiel spoke up then walked over to Sam. "Hello, Sam."

"Oh my God." Sam said in awe. "Or, uh…I didn't mean to- Sorry. It's an honor." He stumbled over his words then held a hand out to Castiel. "Really, I've heard a lot about you."

Castiel just looked at his outstretched hand for a second and Mia wondered if a dick angel even knew what a hand shake was, but then Castiel took his hand and shook it. "And I you. Sam Winchester, the boy with the demon blood." Sam looked a little taken aback by Castiel's words. "I'm glad to hear you've ceased your extracurricular activities."

"Let's keep it that way." Uriel spoke up and Dean didn't miss the fact that Mia's jaw clenched just at the sound of the guys voice.

"Yeah, okay, chuckles." Dean called before he turned to Castiel. "Who's your friend?"

"The rising of Samhain, have you stopped it?" Castiel asked ignoring Dean's question.

"Why?" Dean asked.

"Dean, have you located the witch?" Castiel asked ignoring another question.

"Yes, we've located the witch." He answered.

"And is the witch dead?" Castiel asked.

"No, but-." Sam started.

"But we know who it is." Dean finished.

"Apparently, the witch know's who you are too." Castiel said as he walked over to the night stand and picked up the half burnt hex bad. "This was inside the wall of your room. It almost killed Maria." He said as he held up the bag. "If we hadn't found it, she would be dead." Castiel said and Dean turned to look at Maria with wide eyes.

"I'm fine, Dean. I promise." She said, putting a reassuring hand on his chest.

"Do you know where the witch is now?" Castiel asked.

Dean and Sam looked at each other before Dean turned to Castiel and said, "We're working on it."

"That's unfortunate" Castiel said.

"What do you care?" Dean asked.

Castiel looked at Uriel then back at them. "The raising of Samhain is one of the 66 seals."

"So this is about your buddy Lucifer?" Dean asked.

"Lucifer is no friend out ours." Uriel said.

"It's sarcasm Ass-hat, look it up." Mia said.

"Lucifer cannot rise. The breaking of the seal must be prevented at all costs." Castiel said as he walked around to stand right across from Dean.

"Okay, great. Now that you're here why don't you tell us where the witch is. We'll gank her, everybody goes home." Dean said with a shake of his head.

"We are not omniscient. This witch is very powerful. She's cloaked even our methods." Castiel said and Mia's eyes slid between the men in the room.

"Okay, we already know who she is. So if we work together-." Sam started.

"Enough of this." Uriel spoke up again.

"Okay, who are you and why should I care?" Dean shouted at him, getting aggravated.

"This is uriel." Castiel said. "He's what you might call a specialist."

"In what human torture?" Mia asked, but Castiel ignored her question.

The two angels shared a look making Dean ask, "What are you gonna do?"

"You, uh, all of you, need to leave this town immediately." Castiel said, not answering his question.

"Why?" Maria asked, getting a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach.

"Because we're about to destroy it." Castiel answered matter-of-factly.

"So this is your plan? You're just gonna smite the whole friggin town?" Dean asked.

"We're out of time. This witch has to die. The seal must be saved." Castiel explained.

"But at least a thousand innocent people live in this town." Mia said stepping up to stand next to Dean.

"One thousand two hundred and fourteen." Uriel elaborated.

"And you're going to kill all of them?" Mia asked with furrowed brows.

"This isn't the first time I've…Purified a city." Uriel replied.

"Look, I understand, this is regrettable." Castiel said.

"Regrettable?" Dean asked.

"We have to hold the line. Too many seals have broken already." Castiel argued.

"So you screw the pooch on some seals and now this town has to pay the price?" Dean asked.

"It's the lives of 1000 against the lives of 6 billion. There's a bigger picture here." Case said, glaring at Dean.

"Righ, because you're "bigger picture" kind of guys." Dean popped off.

"Lucifer cannot rise. He does, and hell rises with him." Castiel said stepping up to get in Dean's face. "Is that something that you're willing to risk?"

"We'll stop this witch before she summons anyone. Your seal won't be broken and no one has to die." Sam said, making Mia look up at him.

"We're wasting time with these mud monkeys." Uriel said making Mia hate him even more.

"I'm sorry, but we have our orders." Castiel said turning from them to Uriel.

"No. you can't do this. You're… you're angels. I mean, aren't you supposed to-." Sam said making Uriel laugh. "You're supposed to show mercy."

"Says who?" Uriel asked with a tilt of his head.

"We have no choice." Castiel said turning from them.

"Of course you have a choice." Dean spoke up. "I mean, come on. What, you've never questioned a crap order, huh? Are you both just a couple of hammers?" Dean asked getting angry.

"Look, even if you can't understand it have faith. The plan is just." Castiel said with a look over his shoulder at them.

"How can you even say that?" Sam asked.

"Because it comes from heaven. That makes it just." Castiel said as he turned to them.

"Well, it must be nice to be so sure of yourselves." Dean said.

"Tell me something, Dean. When your father gave you an order didn't you obey?" Castiel asked.

"Well, sorry, boys. Looks like the plans have changed." Dean said.

"You think you can stop us?" Uriel asked.

"No. But if you're gonna smite this whole town then you're gonna have to smite us with it, because we are not leaving." Mia swallowed hard, as she looked back and forth between Dean and Uriel. "You went through the trouble of busting me out of hell I figure I'm worth something to the man upstairs." Dean said with a look at Castiel before he looked back at Uriel. "You wanna waste me? Go ahead. See how he digs that." Dean threatened.

"I'm gonna drag you out of here myself." Uriel threatened.

"Yeah, but you'll have to kill me. Then we're back to the same problem. I mean, come on. You're gonna wipe out a whole town for one little witch?" Dean asked. "Sounds to me like you're compensating for something." Dean said with a cocky tilt of his head. He stared at Uriel for a second before he turned to Castiel and gave Sam and Mia a look. "We can do this. We will find that witch and we will stop the summoning."

"Castiel! I will not let these-." Uriel started.

But Castiel cut him off "Enough." Uriel stood down giving Mia a dirty look. "I suggest you move quickly." Castiel told them before he and Uriel vanished.

"Okay, well, I guess we should get a move on." Dean said as he and Sam grabbed their coats.

"Okay, just…stay safe." Mia said as she walked over and gave Dean a hug.

"Are you sure you're okay here by yourself?" Dean asked as he pulled back out of the hug and looked into her eyes.

"Yeah, I promise." She said giving him a small smile. "I'll just stay here and hand out the candy." She said as she looked around the room for the bucket of candy she had bought the day before. "Where is it?" she asked before her eyes landed on Dean's guilty eyes. "You didn't?"

"I kinda did." he said with a guilty smile as he headed over to the door.

* * *

Mia had been dealing with trick-or-treaters knocking on her door all night. At first she would answer and apologize for not having anything to give them, but eventually she just turned off all of the lights and settled for playing on her cell phone until she fell asleep.

She only woke up when she felt Dean drop into bed. "Mmm, how'd it go?" she asked with a groan as she rolled over to see that he had showered and put on clean clothes.

"Well, we didn't stop the summoning, but Sam did kill him." He said as he pulled her close and rested his head on her chest.

"Sam killed him?" she asked looking at his wet hair.

"Yeah, and he used his powers to do it." he said with a sigh as he rubbed her stomach.

"But I thought he said he was gonna stop that?" she said, concerned.

"Yeah, well, he lied." He sighed as he looked up at her. "But I say we deal with all that later. Right now I just want to get some shut eye."

"Okay." She said, giving him a small smile and a peck on the lips before he turned off the lights and slid under the covers.

**A/N: **I just wanted to thank all of you who prayed and gave my husband and I your best wishes. He finally got a job. So that mean's we can breathe a little easier and I feel like writing again. So I hope you all have a wonderful night/day and thank's again.


	31. Chapter 31

Disclaimer: See Chapter one.

**Sleeping With The Ally**

**Chapter 31:** Wishful Thinking/I Know What You Did Last Summer/Heaven and Hell.

—November 8th—37 Weeks Pregnant—

Red flashed behind Mia's eyes before she gasped and her eyes shot open to look at the ceiling of the spare bedroom in Bobby's house. "Hey, Dean, wake up." Mia said as she nudged his side.

"Yeah, I'm up. What's the matter?" he asked, sitting straight up in bed.

"Nothin's the matter. You were havin' another night mare and it was seeping into my dreams again." Mia told him sleepily.

"I'm sorry." He grunted as he ran his hand down his face. "Why didn't you just make it go away like you usually do?"

"Because it's only temporary." She answered as she rolled out of bed. "I wake up to you having a bad dream, I make it go away and go back to sleep then the next thing I know I'm having your nightmares again." She explained tiredly.

"Mia, I-"

"No, I know. It's not your fault and you're sorry. Trust me I know." she said as she walked around to stand in front of him where he sat on the side of the bed. "I hate even suggesting it, but I think we need to start sleeping in separate beds."

He reached up and took his hand in hers giving it a squeeze. "Okay, I'll go sleep on the couch."

"No, you take the bed." she said, squeezing his hand back and running her fingers through his hair to make him look at her. His eyes…so tired and sleep deprived, matched hers.

"Mia, I'm not gonna let you sleep on the couch." He said groggily as he got up and motioned to the bed. "Lay down…sleep." His sentence was broken by a yawn that she soon copied as she laid back down and immediately fell into a dreamless sleep.

* * *

"Mia, Sweetheart, wake up." Dean whispered, brushing her hair out of her face.

"Hmm?" she hummed and opened her eyes to see him crouching down beside the bed to be eye level with her.

"Sam found a case in Concrete, Washington. We're gonna go check it out." He said smiling at her pillow smashed face.

"Okay." She said with a yawn as she sat up on the side of the bed. "Be safe and keep in touch."

"Always." He said giving her a toothy smile before he leaned down and pecked her on the lips.

"Nu-uh, gotta do better than that if you're leaving me alone with old man grumpy pants." She told him as she grabbed both sides of his button up shirt and pulled him to her. This time when his lips touched hers a silent message passed between them. Neither of them wanted him to leave, but it was pointless to try to have uninterrupted time together.

Sam, clearing his throat at the open door, broke them up. "Okay, well, apparently I have to go now." Dean said as he tucked a stray stand of hair behind her ear. "So I love you, call me if anything happens and I'll see you as soon as we get done with this case." He told her as he walked over to the door and picked up his duffle bag, slinging the strap over his shoulder.

"I love you too and I will." She told him as she walked over to him. He rubbed her belly then pecked her on the lips before he walked out of the door. She watched him walk down the hall until he was out of sight. She knew that sooner or later it was going to come to this, having to say behind while he and Sam did all the work, but it never sank in until now how hard that was going to be. Sitting on the side lines had never been her thing and watching him walk away just made it that much harder.

—Sometime later—

"Hey, how's it goin'?" Mia asked with the phone to her ear as she wandered around Bobby's kitchen looking for something to cook.

"Well, so far we have wishing well that grants everyone's wishes and a giant suicidal teddy bear with lollypop disease." He said making her burst out laughing.

"I'm sorry, what?" she asked through her laughter. "I thought you just said giant suicidal teddy bear with lollypop disease."

"Yeah, that's what I said." Dean said and she could hear the smirk in his voice. "This little girl, Audrey, made a wish that her teddy bear was real and could talk, but the thing broke into a liquor store, stole some chick drinks and raided the porno rack."Dean explained, making her laugh harder.

"And where does the lollypop disease come in?" she asked.

"Well, the little girl's mom wished that they were vacationing in Bali, so our best guess is that her parents are in Bali. We needed to get the little girl away from the bear so we told her that he had lollypop disease and that it was contagious."

"Okay, well, I'm kinda sad I'm missing this one." Mia said as she walked over to the table and sat down. "And you're sure this wishing well works?" she asked.

"Oh yeah, just wished for a foot-long Italian with jalapeno sub and got it." he answered.

"So you ordered a sandwich, big deal." She said flicking a quarter, making it spin across the table.

"Yeah, the fountains in the middle of a Chinese restaurant." He countered.

"Oh, okay, so do you have any leads on how this fountain works?" she asked as she watched the quarter stop spinning.

"Nope, not a clue." He answered before he cleared his throat. "Hey, if you could make a wish in that well, what would it be?"

"What?" she asked with a laugh.

"Come on I'm serious. If you could wish for anything what would you wish for?" he asked with playfulness in his voice.

"At the moment I'd wish for the baby to be out of me already." She laughed making Dean roll his eyes even though she couldn't see.

"That's a little micro don't you think?" he asked. "Come on, dream big."

"Honestly?" she asked with a sigh as she looked off into the distance. "If I could wish for anything it would be for us to live together in a farm house on a hill. No hunting, no angels, no demons, just me you and our family living a normal, happy, apple pie life."

"Gentlemen, gentlemen, I'm sorry. We don't allow people to eat oooutside food here." She heard a voice in the background on the other end of the line say.

"Uh, Mia I've gotta let you go." Dean told her.

"Yeah, okay, love you, call me when you can." She told him.

"Love you too, babe, bye." He said through the food he was chewing before she told him bye and hung up the phone.

An hour and a half later Mia got a text from Dean. Attached was a picture of a silver coin with a serpent on it. "Do you know anything about this coin? We found it stuck to the bottom of the fountain."

"No, but I'll get on it." she answered then started looking through books. A little while later, after looking tough several different books she came across a black and white picture of the coin. "The serpent is the Babylonian god of primordial chaos, Tiamat. The coin is cursed by his priests. When the coin is tossed into a well it turns the well on, granting wishes to everyone who makes one in that well. The only way to turn it off is to find the person that first tossed it in and convince them to take it out, therefore taking back their wish. The kicker is that the wishes go bad." She sent the text before she remembered that Dean made a wish. "So how was that sandwich?"

"I'm puking my guts up, thanks for asking." He tested back. "Thanks for the info."

—Hours later—

She hadn't heard from Dean in a while and she was starting to worry, but eventually, her phone rang Dean's tone and she picked it up after two rings. "Hey, are you okay?" she asked in a rush.

"Yeah, other than getting punched in the face by a super strong nine year old and Sam getting struck by lightning, we're all good." He answered with a laugh in his voice, but she could tell something was off with him, even more so than usual. She was trying to pin point what it was, but she couldn't figure it out. "We're staying in a motel tonight, but I'll be back tomorrow."

"Okay." She said trying to sound happy and apparently it worked because Dean didn't press.

* * *

A day later they sat in bed, Dean with his back against the head board and Mia sitting between his legs. His arms were wrapped around her torso, just above her belly. "Dean," she asked, getting his attention and he hummed, letting her know he was listening, "I know you don't want to talk about it, but when are you going to admit it?" she asked quietly taking the bottle of alcohol from his hand.

"Admit what?" he asked, taking a swipe at the bottle, but she moved it out of his reach.

"That you remember hell." She answered, hoping she wouldn't regret bringing it up.

She heard him sigh behind her, then the sound of him licking his lips, something he did when he was nervous or agitated. "Fine, I remember hell. Happy?" he asked.

She moved around to look at him. "No." she answered wishing she could take a drink from the bottle in her hand.

"Mia, look, just because I remember doesn't mean I want to talk about it." he said, his eyes getting watery.

"No, I know." she said handing him the bottle back. As much as she didn't want to support his drinking habit that had gotten increasingly worse since he got back, she knew it was the only thing that could help at the moment. "I don't expect you to, Dean. But you asked if I was happy and I answered you honestly."

"I don't-" he started, but shook his head not knowing how to finish the sentence.

"I'm not happy with you drowning yourself in booze. And I'm not happy seeing you in this much pain. And the things I see at night…the things I've seen done to you in hell? It breaks my heart seeing it so I can only imagine how you must feel having gone through it. All I've wanted to do since you got back is help you, and there's no way I can do that. I mean, yeah, I can stop your dreams for a little bit, but that doesn't erase what happened to you down there." When she looked up from her hands she noticed him looking at her with tears slipping down his cheeks. "I'm sorry, I don't mean to unload on you, but I can't keep this in anymore, Dean."

"I didn't know being with me made you that unhappy." he said, dropping his head.

"I'm not unhappy with you. I love you. I will always be madly in love with you." she said, taking his calloused hands in hers.

"But?" he asked, knowing her.

"There is no but this time." she told him with a shake of her head.

"Really? Because that almost felt like a breakup." He huffed out finally looking up at her.

"What? No. God no." she almost yelled as she pulled him in for a hug. "All the demons and angles in the world couldn't make me leave you." When she pulled out of the hug she wiped the tears off of his freckled nose and cheeks.

"Than what the hell was all that?" he asked taking her hands in his.

"I don't know. I kinda blew up at you there, didn't I?" she asked and he gave her a tilted head nod. "I'm sorry I guess I've just been keeping things bottled up for a while."

"So what can I do about all of that?" he asked as he wrapped his arm around her shoulder and pulled her to sit beside him on the bed, leaning into his side.

"Nothing really." She answered before she remembered the bottle in his hand. "Except maybe…" she trailed off as she leaned across him and took the bottle away from him, "lay off of this." she set the bottle on the nightstand then looked up at him. "Even if it's just when you're around me. Because this may sound stupid, but you drinking so much when you're around me makes me feel like you don't want to be here."

"Okay." He told her with a nod and she could tell that the second he was away from her taking care of another case, that he would start back up. He was't the first alcoholic she had been around and in this life, he wouldn't be the last.

"Okay, chick flick moments over." She said, instantly lightening the mood. "How about I raid Bobby's kitchen and cook us some chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast?"

"It's 1:00 in the afternoon." He laughed.

"So we'll have breakfast for lunch." She said with a smile and a shrug as she held her hand out for his.

—November 15—38 Weeks Pregnant—

Mia sat on a stool in a bar, feeling out of place as she drank a plain coke, watching the boys hustle pool. "Come on man, one more. Just give me a chance to win it back." Sam said, bracing himself on the side of the pool table, pretending to be drunk.

Dean gave her a wink before he walked over to his brother and the balding man he was playing. "Excuse me." he said getting the guys attention. "My brother's a little sauced to be making bets."

"Hey, he insisted." The guy told Dean and Sam rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, but you've already taken, what, two bills off him? I'm just sayin'." Dean replied.

"Hey, shut up, Dean. I'm fine." Sam said with a snarky smirk that was so drunk him it made Mia turn away and laugh.

"No, you're not fine, you're drunk." She heard Dean say.

"Let's make it five hundred." Sam said making Mia turn back to look at him.

But when she did she came face to face with a brunet woman with brown eyes. "What the hell do you want?" she asked when she realized it was Ruby.

"To talk to the boys. Hey, does this place serve fries?" she asked as she hopped up onto the stool next to Mia.

"Screw you." she hissed as she hopped down and headed over to Dean. They gave her a questioning look before their eyes landed on where she had been sitting to see Ruby.

"Keep the money." Sam said as he tossed the pool stick onto the table and headed over to Ruby.

"Keep the money?" Dean asked, pissed that his brother would throw away five hundred bucks. Mia followed them over to the demon. "You got a lot of nerve showing up anywhere near me."

"I just have some info and then I'm gone." Ruby said stiffly.

"What is it?" Sam asked.

"I'm hearing a few whispers." She replied.

"Ooh, great. Demon whispers. That's reliable." Dean popped off.

"Why should we listen to anything a whore like you has to say?" Mia asked, but got ignored.

Dean walked around to stand behind Sam and the bar and tugged Mia along with him, afraid they would tie up into a fight. "A girl named Anna Milton escaped from a locked ward yesterday." Ruby informed Sam. "The demons seem pretty keen on finding her. Apparently some real heavy hitters turned out for the Easter egg hunt."

"Why? Who is she?" Sam asked, with his arms crossed over his chest.

"No idea, but I'm thinking that she's important. Because the order's to capture her alive." Ruby said and Sam gave Mia and Dean a look before he turned back to Ruby. "I just figured that whatever the deal is, you might wanna find this girl before the demons do."

"Look, maybe we should check it out." Sam said with a look at Mia and Dean.

"Actually we're working a case, but thanks." Dean said with a smug smile on his face.

"What case?" Ruby asked.

"Uh, how about the one where I stick around and wait for my child to be born?" Dean said, pulling Mia into his side as he took a drink of his beer.

"Sounds dangerous." Ruby replied sarcastically.

"Yeah, well it sure ain't goose-chasing after some chick, who for all we know doesn't even exist, just because you say she's important." Dean said with a sneer.

"I'm just delivering the news. Do what you want with it. As far as I'm concerned, I told you, I'm done." Ruby said getting mad.

"Fine, bye. Don't let the door hit you in the ass on your way out." Mia popped off earning a glare from Ruby.

"Wait, this hospital Anna escaped from…" Sam said and Ruby stopped. "It got a name?"

"If you two are going to sit here and chat then I'm out." Mia said grabbing her jacket off of the chair heading for the door.

"I'll be there in a minute." Dean called after her.

A few minutes later the guys came out, Ruby free, and she could tell by the look on Dean's face that they were leaving again. "Look, I know I need to stick around, but Sam really thinks we should take this case and I'm not gonna let him take it alone." Dean explained as he walked up to where she was leaning against the Impala and placed a hand on her hip.

"Yeah, no, I get it. I'll still be here when you get back and if something happens then I'll call you." she said placing her palms on his chest, as she leaned up and placed a kiss on his lips.

They drove her back to Bobby's and packed their bags then headed out.

—Three days Later—

"Hey, Dean, you find the mental hospital?" Mia asked after answering her phone.

"Yeah, we found Anna." Dean answered sounding like he was out of breath.

"Are you okay? You sound like you're in pain." Mia asked, sitting up straighter on the couch.

"Yeah, we got in a bit of a fight with one of the demons that are looking for Anna." Dean explained before she heard the sound of him putting the phone on speaker then the sound of running water. "My shoulders dislocated and Sam's giving himself stitches, but for the most part we're okay."

"Are you sure?" Mia asked, worried.

"Yeah." He answered her.

"So do you know why the demons are after her?" Mia asked as she stood up and started walking around.

"Yeah, she's somehow able to tune into angel radio." Dean answered.

"Right, so that means that if the demons can get their hands on her they will know everything the angels are doing." Mia said earning an approving grunt from Dean. "Are you sure you two are okay?" she asked again.

"Yeah, baby, I'm sure. Don't worry about us." He told her before she heard the sound of the phone being picked up. "Hey, Sam, you almost done?" he called to his brother.

Mia heard the familiar sound of Sam grunting before he said, "I'm going as fast as I can."

"Good, 'cause you know I've got a dislocated shoulder here." Dean reminded him.

"Yeah." Sam grunted out. "I'll pop it back when I'm finished."

"You have me on speaker right?" Mia asked and Dean hummed out a positive answer before she heard the sound of liquid splashing around in a bottle then the suction of Dean's lips. "Hang in there guys. You both know I'd be there to help if I could." She called making them both smile even though they were and pain and she couldn't see the smiles anyway.

"Thanks cheerleader Maria." Sam said, amusement tainting his pain filled voice.

"So you lost the magic knife huh?" Dean asked and Mia knew he was talking to Sam.

"Yeah, saving your ass." Sam grunted out. "Who the hell was that demon?"

"No one good." Dean answered and just like when she was with them they started having their own conversation. "We gotta find Anna."

"Ruby's got her. I'm sure she's okay." Just Sam saying the demons name made Mia's blood run hot. Just because she had made her piece with Sam and decided to put all of that behind her, didn't mean that she would ever like or even have a shred of respect for the bitch. "Alright, come on." Sam said and it got quiet for a second. "On three. One-" even on the other end of the phone Mia could hear the nasty click of the bone going back into place before Dean yelled.

"You guys have no idea how bad I wish I was there right now." Mia said after a while.

"Yeah, we wish you were here too, Mia, but your safer there." Dean answered. "Sam, are you sure about Ruby?" he asked. "Because I think it's just as likely…she used us to find radio girl and then brought that demon to kill us." Dean's voice still sounded strained and it made Mia uncomfortable.

"No, she took Anna to keep her safe." Sam answered, still sounding like he was recovering.

"Yeah, well why hasn't she called up to tell us where she is?" Dean asked.

"Because that demon is probably watching us right now. Waiting to follow us right back to Anna again. That's why he let us go." Mia could hear the aggravation in Sam's voice.

Dean laughed, "You call this letting us go?"

"Yeah, I do." Sam answered. "Look killing us would have been no problem to that thing. That's why for now, we just gotta lay low and wait for Ruby to contact us."

"How's she gonna do that?" Dean asked, but didn't get an answer.

"I still don't get why the hell you trust her so damn much." Mia spoke up for the first time, obviously talking to Sam.

"I told you." Sam answered.

"You gotta do better than that." You heard Dean say. "Hey and I'm not trying to pick a fight here. I mean, I really want to understand. But I need to know more. I think Mia and I deserve to know more." Dean said.

It was quiet for a while before Sam finally said, "Because…she saved my life." It got quiet again then Mia heard the sound of the phone being moved around and the buttons getting pushed as it was taken off of speaker phone. "Mia, I know you deserve to know more, but I really don't think you want to hear it." Sam told her stiffly.

"You're right. If it has to do with you and that bitch and why you decided to do what you did then I'm better off not knowing." Mia answered flatly.

"Okay, so we'll talk to you later, alright?" Sam asked and she hung up the phone without even saying goodbye.

An hour later Mia got a text from Dean. "Ruby got in touch, we're going to get Anna." A few seconds after she got that text another one made her phone ding. "Oh and I love you."

Mia smiled down at her phone before she texted back. "I love you too, and try to come back to me in one piece."

—That night—

Mia was sitting on Bobby's couch, eating a homemade burger and watching NCIS when Dean called. "Hey, honey bunch." She answered while chewing a bite of her burger.

She could hear a laugh in Dean's voice as he said, "Hey, sweetheart." But his light tone went away as he got serious. "We have Anna and we're on our way to you. Turns out the angles want this chick just as much as the demons except the angels just want to straight up kill her. We're gonna keep her in the panic room until we know more."

"Okay, so when should I expect y'all to get here?" she asked, setting the burger down on the plate that was resting on her belly.

"Some time in the morning." He answered and she nodded even though he couldn't see it. I was quiet between them for a minute as Dean looked around the car to see that his brother and Anna were sound asleep. "So what are you doin?"

"I'm sitting on the couch eating a homemade burger in my pink and black night gown." She answered.

"You're eating a homemade burger without me?" he asked just like she figured he would.

"I'm sorry you're on a hunt and I got hungry." She answered sarcastically. "I'll make the three of you breakfast when you get here." She offered, feeling more like a maid than a hunter now days.

"Yeah… make that four." Mia didn't like the hesitant tone in Dean's voice.

"What do you mean four? Who else I with you?" she asked leaning up to set her plate onto the table.

"Ruby." He answered making Mia's teeth grind together.

"That bitch can starve to death for all I care." she replied before he heard Dean sigh. "What?"

"Can you give the Ruby hating a rest?" he asked.

Mia's brows rose in disbelief as she stood up and started walking around the room. "What?"

"You've been hating on her extra hard lately and I'm not sure she deserves it." he said then waited for the backlash he knew he was probably going to receive.

"I'm sorry, but when did you become a fan of hers?" Mia asked, putting a hand on her aching back.

"When I found out that she really did save Sam's life." He answered, his voice turning hard. Mia just paced around the room, thinking about how her being a complete bitch to Ruby must look to Dean. Now that she thought about it she realized that it probably made Dean feel like she hadn't let go of her past with Sam. "You still there?" he asked at her silence.

"Yeah, I'm here." She replied as she sank down onto the couch and placed her head in her hands. "You're right. If she saved Sam's life then I should be grateful. So I'll… try to play nice." She said as she sat up and ran her hand through her hair, pushing the short stands away from her face.

"Seriously?" he asked and she hummed out a positive answer. "That was easier than I thought it was gonna be."

"Yeah, well… If you say I need to be nicer to her then I'm not goin to argue with you." she said making his brows shoot up. Since when did she listen to him that easily?

"I'm sorry are you feeling okay? I thought I just heard you say that you weren't going to argue with me." he said.

"Yeah, Dean, I'm feeling just fine." She answered. "It's just I didn't realize until now that most of my anger toward her stemmed from the fact that she slept with Sam and I'm done with that book. So I figured that I might as well stick that anger between the pages, slam it shut and toss it to the wind." She explained.

"So you're just letting it go?" he asked and she hummed out a positive answer. "Well that's healthy of you." When he didn't get a response he looked down at his watch to see that it was getting late. "Hey, you're burgers probably getting cold huh?" he asked and she hummed again. "I'll let you eat then."

"Okay." She said as she picked up her plate. "I'll see you in the morning then?" she asked.

"Yep, bright and early." He answered. "And I'm looking forward to that breakfast you promised."

She smiled at him and his love of food. "I love you."

"I love you too, Mia. Goodnight."

"Goodnight."

* * *

As soon as Dean walked into Bobby's house the scent of bacon and eggs hit his nose and a huge smile swept over his face. "Mia, we're here." He called as they walked through the house and into the kitchen.

"Breakfast in on the table." She said, as she pulled a half gallon of milk and a pitcher of orange juice out of the fridge.

"You didn't have to do all this you know." Dean said as he walked over to the table and sat down in a chair across from a plate that had two sunny side up eggs, three pieces of bacon and toast on it. Two more plates just like his sat on the table and the forth held an egg white omelet.

"I'm guessing that's mine?" Sam asked with a hand motion to the omelet as Mia turned and set the milk and juice on the table.

"Yep." She said with a small smile before he eyes landed on the red head who walked cautiously into the kitchen with Ruby behind her. "Hi, Anna, I'm Maria, Dean's fiancée." She introduced herself as she held her hand out to the young woman.

"Hi." Anna replied meekly as she shook Mia's hand. As Anna's hand grasped Mia's lightly a shot of strange electricity shot through her wrist.

Mia smiled it off as she let go of the girls hand and motioned to a plate on the table. "I figured y'all might be hungry." Anna gave her a smile and sat down at the table. Mia turned to Ruby who was hovering in the doorway of the kitchen just observing. "There's a plate for you too if you want it."

"Seriously?" Ruby asked, standing up straighter.

"You saved Sam. So yeah." Mia answered then pulled up a chair next to Dean, but didn't sit down.

"Where's yours?" Dean asked before sticking a bit of egg in his mouth.

"I've already eaten." She answered, setting one hand on her belly and another on her lower back, massaging it.

"You okay?" Dean asked, seeing how uncomfortable she was.

"Yeah, just a little back pain. Nothing out of the norm." she replied with a small smile.

When they were done eating they brought Anna down to the basement panic room. "Iron walls drenched in salt. Demons can't even touch the joint." Dean told Anna who was sitting in and old chair with her legs pulled up to her chest.

"Which I find racist, by the way." Ruby chipped in from outside the room making Mia, who was leaning against the desk next to Anna, roll her eyes.

"Write to your congressman." Dean popped off as he turned from Anna.

Ruby ignored him. "Here." She tossed Dean three bags, tied closed with string.

"Hex bags?" he asked.

Ruby nodded. "Extra crunchy. Hide us from angels, demons, all comers." She explained.

"Thanks, Ruby." Dean said.

Mia leaned to the side and gave the demon a tight smile. "Yeah, we appreciate it."

Ruby gave you both a weird look before Dean turned away from her and handed one of the bags to Anna. "Don't lose this." he told her before he walked over to Mia and handed her one. "Do you mind staying down here with her, keeping both of you safe?" Dean asked and Mia just shook her head no.

"So, Anna, what's playing on angel radio? Anything useful?" Dean asked.

"It's quiet. Dead silence." She answered.

Dean gave Mia and worried look before he looked back to Anna. "Good, that's not troubling at all."

"We're in trouble, huh?" she asked. "You guys are scared?"

Dean looked at Mia then at Ruby before he answered, "Na." a second after that Sam called out for Dean from upstairs. He kissed Mia on the cheek before he headed out of the panic room "Stay here okay?" he old Anna then stopped next to Ruby. "Keep an eye on them."

After a few minutes Anna got up and left without saying a word. Ruby followed after and Mia didn't feel like sitting in the panic room alone so she got up and tagged along. "Until now, so what's she hiding?" Mia heard Dean asked Sam.

"Why didn't you just ask me to my face?" Anna asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Nice job watching them." Dean popped off at Ruby.

"I'm watching them." Ruby said with a motion at Anna.

"And I don't need watching." Mia added.

"You're right, Anna. Is there anything you wanna tell us?" Sam asked.

"About what?" Anna asked.

"The angels said you were guilty of something." Sam said. "Why would they say that?"

"You tell me. You tell me why my life has been leveled. Why my parents are dead. I don't know. I swear, I would give anything to know." Anna said, on the verge of tears.

"Okay. Then let's find out." Sam said.

"How?" Anna asked.

"We'll, call a friend of ours. Get her to hypnotize you and see if we can access something from your past that you can't. Sound okay to you?" Sam asked and she nodded.

"Okay, I'll call Pamela." Dean said as he pulled his phone out and headed into the kitchen, Mia followed. She sat down at the table and started playing with the same quarter that had been on the table for weeks now. "Okay, it took some coaxing, but she agreed to come." He said as he closed the phone and walked over to wrap his arm around Mia's waist. "I'm gonna go pick her up."

"Okay." Mia said, twisting in his arm to stand in front of him. "I need to talk to you about Anna." She said in a hushed voice with a nervous look toward the library where she stood with Ruby and Sam. "I don't know what it was, but when I shook her hand this morning I felt something."

"Something like what?" he asked, standing up a little straighter.

"I don't know. It was like this weird electricity was transferred between us or something." She tried to explain. "I've been thinking about it and the only thing I can think of that would explain it is if… Do you think she's a nephilim or even just a fourth angle like me, but without the demon blood?" she asked.

"I don't know it could be a theory. I mean, Castiel did call you and abomination." He said and she ground her teeth at the memory. "If she's like you without the demon blood, then she could be stronger in the angel sense." He thought out loud then shook his head to clear his thoughts. "Maybe Pamela can tell us something." He pulled his keys out of his pocket then headed to the front door. "Do you want to ride along?" he asked and she shook her head.

"I think it would be safer if I stayed here." She said and he kissed her on the forehead before he turned and left.

* * *

Mia was sitting in the Panic Room with Anna and Sam when she heard someone walking down the stairs to the basement then Dean call, "We're here."

"Pamela, hey." Sam was the first to greet her after Dean helped the blind woman down the stairs.

"Sam? Sam is that you?" Pam asked uncharacteristically unsure of herself.

"I'm right here." Sam said putting a hand on her shoulder.

Pamela put her hands on his chest feeling of him before she placed a hand on his cheek. "Oh. Know how I can tell?" she asked, still playing the weak card before her hand left his face to slap his ass. Sam grunted and tilted his head to the side. "That perky little ass of yours. You could bounce a nickel off that thing." Pam said now sounding more like her old self as she laughed. "Of course, I know it's you, Grumpy." She said before she looked away from Dean to where Mia was standing next to Ruby and Anna. "Same way I know that's a demon, that poor girl's Anna and Maria's standing next to the demon." Pam said then turned back to Sam. "And that you've been eyeing my rack."

"Uh, duh, uh.." Sam stumbled for something to say as everyone else smiled.

Pamela laughed. "Don't sweat it, kiddo. I still got more senses than most."

"Got it." Sam said with an awkward bite of the inside of his cheek. Dean gave him a shit eating grin.

Pamela walked over to Anna and held her hands out. "Anna. How are you? I'm Pamela." She told the red head that took her hands.

"Hi." Anna greeted back with a smile. Mia moved to stand next to Dean, who threaded his fingers through hers.

"Dean told me what's been going on. I'm excited to help." Pamela told Anna.

"That's nice of you." Anna smiled.

"Well, not really. Any chance I can dick over an angel, I'm taking it." Pamela explained her motives.

"Why?" Anna asked.

"They stole something from me." Pamela said as she took off her sun glasses revealing plain white eyes that made Anna cringe back. "Demony, I know, but they're just plastic. Good for business. Makes me look extra-psychic, don't you think?" Anna just smiled as Pamela laughed. "Now." Pamela put her glasses back on. "How about you tell me what your deal is?" she asked as she put her arm around the girls shoulder and started walking with her to the panic room.

After they talked for a while Pamela motioned them all to the room where Anna was laying on the bed of the panic room. "Nice and relaxed." Pamela told her in a soothing voice. "Now, I'm going to count down from five to zero. When we're at zero, you'll be in a deep state of hypnosis." Mia watched from the door way with Ruby while Sam stood just inside the door and Dean sat on the desk. He had his hand on her shoulder as he watched Pam and Anna. "As I count down, just go deeper and deeper, okay? Five, four, three, two, one. Deep sleep." Pam said as she reached up and slid Anna's eyes closed. "Deep sleep. Every muscle, calm and relaxed. Can you hear me?" Pam asked.

"I can hear you." Anna responded.

"Now, Anna, tell me how can you hear the angles? How did you work that spell?" Pamela asked.

"I don't know. I just did." Anna answered.

"Your father, what's his name?" Pamela asked.

"Rich Milton." Anna answered.

"All right, but I want you to look further back to when you were very young. Just a couple of years old." Pamela said in her soothing voice.

"I don't want to." Anna said.

"It'll be okay, Anna." Pamela said as she reached out and placed her hand on Anna's tensing arm. "Just one look, that's all we need."

"No." Anna responded as he head shook and pressed back into the pillow.

"What's your dad's name? Your real dad?" Pam asked and Anna started to get even more restless. "Why's he angry at you?"

"No. No, no, nooo!" Anna screamed, her torso coming up off of the table as she did.

"Calm down." Pamela said, but it was pointless.

"No, he's gonna kill me!" Anna screamed and the next thing Mia knew the door to the panic room had closed, shutting her and Ruby outside. She heard the lights inside bust as Anna screamed.

"Wake in one, two, three, four, five." Mia heard Pamela say as things inside the room quieted down. "Anna? Anna? You all right?" Pamela asked.

When Dean pulled the metal door open Mia saw Anna sitting up in the bed. "Thank you, Pamela. That helped a lot. I remember now." Anna said as she moved her legs to hang off of the bed.

"Remember what?" Sam asked and Anna looked at him.

"Who I am." She answered.

Dean looked at Mia then Sam before he looked at Anna. "I'll bite. Who are you?" he asked.

"I'm an angel." Anna answered and Mia's mouth fell open.

"I knew it." Mia said and Anna smiled at her.

"You felt my grace." Anna told her and Mia tilted her head to the side.

"I'm sorry, I felt your what?" she asked, confused.

"My grace, it's energy. But I don't have mine. What you felt was just the remits of it." Anna said making all of them look at her like she was crazy.

"Hold on back up a second, what?" Dean finally said and Anna smiled at him.

Anna just glanced around her before she headed up stairs. She led them to the library and when Anna looked at Ruby she saw that the demons brows were drawn together as she stood as far away from Anna as possible. "Don't be afraid, I'm not like the others." Anna told her.

"I don't find that very reassuring." Ruby countered.

"Neither do I." Pamela spoke up from where she was sitting on a desk between Sam and Dean.

"_So far she's not a bitch like the other angles. Maybe she can tell me more about what a one fourth angel like myself can do."_ Maria thought to herself where she sat on the desk beside Dean, but she didn't feel like now was the right time to ask.

"So, Castiel, Uriel, they're the ones that came for me?" Anna asked as she walked over to Sam and Dean.

"You know them?" Sam asked.

"We were kind of in the same foxhole." Anna confirmed.

"So, what were they, like, your bosses or something?" Dean asked.

"Try the other way around." Anna said with a humble look down at the floor and a small smirk.

"Now they wanna kill you?" Pamela asked.

Anna shrugged. "Orders are orders. I'm sure I have a death sentence on my head." She said as she crossed her arms over her chest and walked around.

"Why?" Pamela asked.

Anna stopped and looked at her. "I disobeyed, which for us…is about the worst thing you can do. I fell."

"Meaning?" Dean asked.

"She fell to earth. Became human." Pam answered.

Mia wanted to engage in conversation, but an aching in her back had her attention drawn elsewhere. "Wait a minute, I don't understand." Sam spoke up and Mia looked at him as she got up and stretched her back. "So angels can just become human?" he asked and Mia looked to Anna for a response as she sat down on the old couch in the room.

"Kinda hurts. Try cutting your kidney out with a butter knife. That kind of hurt." Anna said as she walked around some more. I ripped out my grace. The energy I was telling you about." She said with a motion at Mia. "I hacked it out and fell. My mother, Amy, couldn't get pregnant. She always called me her little miracle. She had no idea how right she was."

"So you just forgot that you were Gods little Power Ranger?" Dean asked making Mia smirk, even though the dull ache in her back was still making her uncomfortable.

"The older I got, the longer I was human, yeah." Anna answered.

"I don't think you all appreciate how completely screwed we are." Ruby spoke up for the first time in a while.

"Ruby's right. Heaven wants me dead." Anna agreed.

"And hell just wants her." Ruby spoke up again. "A flesh and blood angel that you can question, torture, that bleeds." She said to all of then turned her gaze to Anna. "Sister, you're the Stanly Cup. And sooner or later, heaven or hell, they're gonna find you."

"I know, and that's why I'm gonna get it back." Anna said walking around the room again.

"What?" Sam asked.

"My grace." She said, stopping in front of Dean.

"You can do that?" He asked.

"If I can find it." She answered.

"So what? You're just gonna take some divine bong hit and shazam, you're Roma Downey?" Dean asked.

"Something like that." Anna said with a head tilt.

"All right. I like this plan. So where's this grace of yours?" Dean asked then looked back at Mia when he saw her get up off of the couch and start walking around, hoping it was ease the ache.

"Are you okay?" he asked, noticing her lack of interest in the conversation going on around her.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just tired." She said with a convincingly tired looking smile as she walked over and placed her hand on his back then looked at Anna for an answer to Dean's question.

"Lost track. I was falling about 10,000 miles per hour at the time." She answered.

"Wait, you mean falling, like literally?" Sam asked.

"Yes." She answered.

"Like the way a human eye can see? Like a comet, maybe, or a meteor?" he asked.

"Why do you ask?" she asked.

"I think I know how to find your grace." He said as he headed over to a stack of books and started digging.

"Okay, well, while you do that I'm gonna bring Pamela home." Dean said before he turned to Mia. "You wanna ride with us?"

"No, uh," Mia said running her hand through her loose waves, "I think I'm gonna go up and try to get some rest." She said with a sigh, trying not to let how much her back was hurting her show.

"Alright, well then I'll see you later." He told her before he gave her a kiss then grabbed his coat.

She watched him walk out the front door then when he was gone she headed up to the bedroom and laid down. Despite the back ache, she fell asleep quickly.

* * *

Mia woke to the sound of the Impala pulling up outside. With one hand rubbing her eyes and another tugging her shirt down over her belly, she walked over to the window and looked out. As the sleep cleared out of her eyes she saw Dean and Anna leaning on the hood of an abandoned car talking. She wanted to look away, feeling like she was invading his privacy, but they looked like they were in a heated conversation so she couldn't make herself look away.

But when she saw Sam walk up to them and say something the three of them headed inside. So she smoothed down her sleep mussed hair and headed down stairs. "Hey." Dean greeted when they ran into each other. "How you feeling, any better?" he asked as he wrapped his arm around waist and kissed her temple.

"I'm fine." She answered and he gave her a look that asked if she was sure. "Really, I'm fine."

"Okay, if you two are done being sickeningly sweet we have an angle demon bomb to defuse." Ruby said making Mia glare at her as they headed into the library.

"So, to catch you up Mia, we think that Anna and her grace appeared to the human eye as meteorites. One fell in Ohio where Anna was born and the other, her grace fell in Kentucky." Sam said as he pointed to the map that was on the table in front of the fireplace. "In union Kentucky I found some accounts of a local miracle."

"Yeah?" Dean who was leaning over the map next to his brother asked.

"Yeah. In '85, there was an empty field outside of town. Six months later, there was a full grown oak. They say it looks a century old, at least."

"Anna, what do you think?" Dean asked and Mia looked at the younger woman.

"The grace. Where it hit, it could have done something like that. Easy." Anna answered.

"So grace ground zero. It's not destruction. It's…" Dean started.

"Pure creation." Anna finished and they all looked around at each other.

"Okay, well lets head to Union, Kentucky." Dean said as he grabbed his coat and they all headed for the door.

Mia was getting tired of having to tell Dean "bye" and "see you later", but as he kissed her on his way out she let him go without a word.

* * *

"We found the oak, and the grace was here, but it's not anymore." Mia read on the screen of her pink razor.

"We're hunkering down in a barn for the night, trying to figure this thing out." He texted back.

"Okay, stay safe and I love you." she texted back not knowing what else to say.

"I love you too."

Despite the persistent ache in her back that wasn't getting worse but wasn't letting up, she managed to fall asleep and slept through the night. But when she woke up in the morning it was to the pain that had started to spread around to her sides. Unlike the pain from the day before, Mia knew that this was the real deal. She needed to get to the hospital. So she picked up her phone and speed dialed Dean. She paced around the room, trying to ease the pain as he phone rang and rang until it went to voice mail.

Instead of leaving a message she hung up the phone and tried again and again and again. "Son of a bitch, Dean!" she yelled as she threw the phone onto the bed and growled in anger. "Call me if you need anything. Call me and I'll get to you." she mocked him as she walked around the room, fighting tears of frustration. "I'm calling you, you asshole!" she yelled as she picked up the phone and tried again. Once again it rang until it went to voicemail. "What the hell am I supposed to do?" she asked as she walked over to the corner of the room and picked up the pre packed hospital bag.

She had her phone in her hand, ready to call an ambulance when it started ringing, Dean's name popped up on the screen. "Dean, what the hell? I've been trying to call you." she asked, but he didn't respond.

"Dean, I'm damn curious. But you're not talking about hell and I'm not pushing." She heard Sam say and it sounded like he was a good distance from the phone.

It got quiet so she decided to speak up. "Dean, hello, can you hear me? Dean?" she said, but got no response.

"It wasn't four months you know." she heard Dean say as another pain shot across her back and around to her sides.

She put the phone on speaker and sat down on the bed. "What?" Sam's voice echoed around the quiet room.

"It was four months up here, but down there…I don't know, time's different. It was more like 40 years." With the muffled distant sound of their voices it was clear that Dean had butt dialed her. "They, uh… They sliced and carved and tore at me in ways that you…" Dean's words hit her like a brick wall, making her go rigid. "Until there was nothing left." It was quiet for a second. "And then suddenly I would be whole again. Like magic. Just so they could start it all over. And Alastair, at the end of every day, every one, he would come over and he would make me an offer to take me off the rack if I put souls on. If I started to torture. And every day I told him to stick it where the sun shines. For thirty years I told him that. But then I couldn't do it any more Sammy." The shake she could hear in Dean's voice brought tears to her eyes as she started shaking. "I couldn't. Then I got off that rack. God help me, I got right off it and I started ripping them apart." Mia slid off of the bed to sit on the floor, weeping as she listened to Dean. "I lost count of how many souls. The things that I did to them." Mia had just laid her head on the edge of the bed when another pain shot through her and she muffled her grunts of pain with the mattress as she kept listening to the conversation.

"Dean, ahem…" Sam finally spoke. "You held out for 30 years. That's longer than anyone would have." She could barely make out his whispered words.

She could hear sniffling before Dean said, "How I feel… this… inside me. I wish I couldn't feel anything Sammy." Even though she wanted to keep listening to the private moment between Sam and Dean, she made herself stand up and pick up the phone. "I wish I couldn't feel a damn thing."

When it got quiet between the two Mia saw an opportunity. "Dean! Sam! Woo hoo!" she shouted then started banging the phone on the night stand trying to make enough noise for them to hear her.

"Do you hear something?" she heard Sam ask with muted curiosity.

"Dean! Hey!" she yelled as she banged the phone on the night stand again, almost breaking it.

"Mia?" he asked, this time his voice was loud and clear.

"Yeah, I've been on speaker phone for the past five minutes." She huffed as she paced the room with a hand on her stomach.

"So you heard all of that?" he asked with a sniffle.

"Yeah, but we can talk about who Alastair is later, or not, it's up to you." she said in a rush as she paced back and forth. "But right now you need to get here. It's time."

"What? You're sure?" he asked and she could hear Sam asking questions in the background.

"Yeah I'm sure." She panted.

"Okay, well, get your bag, call an ambulance and I'll meet you at the hospital." He said in a rush before she heard the door of the Impala slam then the sound of it cranking.

"All right, it's a plan." She said with a smile as she grabbed her bag and headed down stairs.

**A/N:** Please don't hate me for ending this chapter on a cliff hanger. Baby name suggestions anyone? Oh and my husband finally got a job, so thank you to all that prayed for us.


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